This week Literary Revelations is thrilled to bring you the poetry of Vasiliki Petroudi, a Greek poet of striking talent.
Vasiliki in her own words:
There are two powerful memories from my childhood. First, sleeping under gigantic cypresses that one can find everywhere in Greece, and second the voices of a Greek singer whispering something about the death of a symbol. Greece is not only my birth country. It is also my legacy.
Cypress trees, the voices of our composers Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hatzidakis, Yiannis Markopoulos, and the lyrics of our greatest poets Elytis and Seferis.
Raised among books, I started reading and writing at the age of four. Since then, books have been my shelter and writing my way to communicate my ideas and my vision about a better world.
My spiritual fathers, Homer, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, showed me the way.
Through my poetry I try to show the way to other people. The way not to only survive but to truly live.
Orphan
Immaculate conception
I came to this world
by my own volition
Fed with verses,
by haunted minstrels
My childhood doesn’t have the scent
of laundry that dries up in the sun
It smells gunpowder
and ink from a print shop
My nannies,
moonstruck poets
hiding
the ugliness of the world from me
I grew up with a lame soul
and a mind full of Idees Grandes
And now that all my sitters are dead
I wander, an orphan, 45 years old.
Exile
I so wanted to be born,
to know the world,
but couldn’t find the way
I had the innocence of the first moment,
the purity of nothing
I was walking through the open markets,
watching people passing by
and I was begging them
to give birth to me
But they were afraid of my power
for so enormous it was,
that could tear the world apart
It was then, when I discovered
two deaths
The death of kindness
and the death of memory
For Death is the need to forget
Jesus of Suburbia
Jesus of Suburbia,
my Bible written
with blood and sperm
on the bathroom tiles
Born in a crèche full of shit
Suckle my mother’s cocaine
Home is where abuse
still haunts you
Pain recycled in every boy’s touch
Signs mislead, this is not love
Alcohol and cigarettes,
can you fill the void?
Please daddy stop, it hurts
Lost my faith at 7
naked in the garage
What stunning writing! I love the evocative nature of Orphan and the longing in Exile ❤️
Thank you so much Layla. Stunning indeed.
Thank you for taking time to read Layla 😊
Thank you so much dear Gabriela ❤️
My pleasure. Always willing to publish poetry of high caliber.
Impressive lyrics:”I had the innocence of the first moment,
the purity of nothing”
Thank you so much Virginia 💕
Wow, this is so beautiful..i am awaiting for my copy….i hope it arrives sooner so i can read the rest of the poems in this anthology.
Thank you so much Mich. I always appreciate your kind support. I can’t wait to listen to you reading your wonderful poems. As for Vasiliki’s poems they were not published in Hidden in Childhood because of some kind of technical glitch. But they are here now for everyone to read them.
xoxo
Powerful poetry
I agree Jay.
Stunning – yes, that’s the word – for Vasiliki, for her words – good to read her here, Gabriela.
Her poetry pulls no punches, so raw and real, and a favorite! 💝
So wonderful to know a little more about Vasiliki. Such a fan of her poetry. Love these pieces <3
Thanks for sharing this idea. Anita
I have read Vasiliki Petroudi poetry on line and she is incredibly talented. These pieces leave one with a plethora of emotions. Her work leaves me completely overwhelmed with empathetic thoughts.
“Born in a crèche full of shit
Suckle my mother’s cocaine
Home is where abuse
still haunts you”
Such powerful work. Thank you so much for this wonderful feature and for sharing Vasiliki Petroudi’s work with us.
Beaucoup de larmes
De perles sanguines
Et la volonté
De te relever
Bravo V
Revelatory, brilliant, remarkable poetry. I am stunned by the clarity of the images Vasiliki Petroudi Petroudi’s gorgeous and moving scenes wash over my eyes as they move me. I am but a sapling in the shade of her giant cypress. I look forward to reading more from this wonderous poet. Thank you so very much for sharing with us, Vasiliki & Gabriela.
I say your name twice! No wonder you are such a superlative! 😎
Aahh, editors rejoice; the world is in your good hands! 🙏
She’s exceptional…I sat down and really listened to what she said. I immediately liked her poetry. Thank you Gabriela for the introduction.
Each words of Vasiliki’s poems here deeply touches the heart…
Truly amazing poetry in imagery by Vasiliki.
love these line!
what and opening!
Powerful words, an avalanche of emotions.
Incredible poetry!
👌👌
I first meant Vasiliki through her poetry in Hidden In Childhood. Her imagery in her writing is incredible and leaves imprints. Fun to hear about her Greek roots and love of her country!
Wonderful