ZACHAROULA GAITANAKI

ZACHAROULA GAITANAKI

Fatherland

For many years now,

he regards the foreign country

his second home.

But in his heart,

an eternal love

nests for Greece.

A handful of the native soil,

a small branch of lemon tree

and a seashell from Aegean Sea

antidotes of forgetting.

Besides the icons he keeps,

in a small box,

the soil, the seashell, the flowers,

mementos from his fatherland.

Zacharoula Gaitanaki, Greece

Postscript

My fried, I wrote a big letter

but I missed to mention this”

I saw in television, a reportage

from a fire in a colors factory.

There was a kitten getting out

of the ruins staring

with curiosity the camera

shooting the destruction.

It seemed to me

like a good omen.

Not the camera,

the kitten I mean.

Zacharoula Gaitanaki, Greece

A Short – Lived Bestseller

“Extraordinary, “Excellent”,

“Interesting”, “a beautiful book”,

“Important”, “a graceful book”,

“Gorgeously written”, “Fantastic”..

A young writer of a bestseller

was collecting words and reviews

in a notebook specially

for this purpose.

When, by chance, he opened it,

after some years,

all its pages were blank.

Zacharoula Gaitanaki, Greece

ZACHAROULA GAITANAKI

Dr. ZACHAROULA GAITANAKI was born in Athens on November 30th, 1966. Now, she is a small farmer and lives with her family in Zoni, a small Arcadian village in Peloponnese. She writes poems, articles, short stories, essays, novels and review of  book.  She is also a translator  of books of poetry. She is a life member of the “World Academy of Arts and  Culture”  /  “World Congress of Poets” (which awarded her the title of the Honorary Doctor of Literature) and of the IWA (International Writers Association). She is a member of the “World Poets Society” and of the “Asociacion Mundial de Escritores – A.M.E.” of  Spain (No 3299). Member of “Poetas del Mundo” («Poets of the World»). Her poems, short stories and essays have appeared  in foreign and Greek Anthologies, they have been translated into English, French, Italian, Albanian, Bengali, Russian, Hungarian, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and have won prizes in national and international literary competitions.  She selected by “The International Poetry Translation and Research Centre” and the Journal of “The World Poets Quarterly” one of “The International Best Translators 2005” (China, 2006) and by the Greek Literary Club “Xasteron” as “The Best Greek Translator of the year 2007” (March, 22, 2008). “Best Poet of the Year 2012” by the IPTRC. “Best Translator of 2013” by the “International Writers and Artists Association – IWA”.  «Translator of 2017» by the Academia Alternative «PEGASIANE» (Albania). She has published the books: 1.-  “DISSIMILAR  LANDSCAPES” (Poetry collection), Athens, 2001 & e-book (2018).    2.-   “POTIS  KATRAKIS, A PROLIFIC  WRITER” (Essay), Athens 2003.   3.-  “STATHIS  GRIVAS – WRITING FOR LIFE  – Tracking in his poetical space”.  Essay), editions “Platanos”, Athens, 2006.  4.- «200 YEARS ZONI (1810 – 2010)», a special edition (with 59 photos), “Morfotikos Exoraistikos Syllogos Zonis of Arcadia”,  2010 . 5.- “POTIS KATRAKIS – ROUTE TO CREATION”, (Essay), Athens (1st edition: 2012, 2nd edition: June 2013), Editions “Lexitipon” and 6.- «IN MY LITTLE OFFICE», poems, Zoni Arcadia, 2018, e-book edition. With 3 other poet have published the e-books: «WEDDING EVE OF FEAST» (2018) and «THE ENGAGEMENT» (2019).