******OUR POETRY ARCHIVE******: April 2026

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

APRIL 2026 V-12 N-1 Issue No. 133

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA INTERVIEW

NILAVRONILL TALKING WITH

POET OF THE MONTH

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA

NILAVRONILL: Welcome to Our Poetry Archive. Why do literature and poetry in particular interest you so much? Please give us some idea about your own perception of literature or poetry in general.

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: I would like to thank you wholeheartedly Mr. NilavroNill Shoovro, esteemed global poet and publisher, for your kind interview invitation and congratulate you on your exceptional work on the distinguished OPA POETRY ARCHIVE. It is really a great honor for me and I feel both happy and moved.

I always loved to indulge in literature books. I was immensely attracted towards language writing down my thoughts. I began writing poetry lines on notebooks and papers when I was at high school because it seemed appealing, motivating and creative. It interested me so much. I just wanted to. It was a kind of self-expression, a newly born meaningful discovery, an outlet for my introverted inner self. I relish poetry for the depth of emotions and the freedom of creativity. Literature is a precious treasure to find and explore. It is a never-ending source of human thinking. Poetry in particular, can be the warmth of your soul fire. Lines flow like river water invigorating one's thoughts. It is like a vivid dream that you have to paint in words. Words go beyond their literal meaning and become a means on which a lone traveler can travel either as a poet or reader.

NILAVRONILL: Do you believe that your literary self is actually an extension of your soul? We would like to know the factors and the peoples who have influenced you immensely in the growing phase of your literary life.

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Yes, my literary self is an extension of my soul. My imagination works through poetry as a means of self-expression. Poetry is self-expression for sure. The way my heart speaks, my lines speak too, conveying my thoughts and sentiments. I use poetry to express and explore myself, my experiences and my imagination. I clearly recall the time when I read The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, the renowned Lebanese poet and writer. His words influenced me tremendously. I had not been involved so emotionally in poetry before. The next day I went to the bookshop in my neighborhood and bought all the poetry books by the same poet. From then on, poetry sparkled and warmed my heart. It opened up the road to indulge in poetic pages. I was also taught English and American Literature and Poetry in university. Some years ago, I participated in the 1st national poetry competition by Koventareios Municipal Library of Kozani and won the prize for distinguished literary style for my poem The light. It was my first participation in poetry competitions and from then on I took part in many more.

NILAVRONILL: Do you think the primary obligation of a poet should be to communicate with the temporal as well as with the eternal essence of life and the universe? If so, how can one fulfil that particular obligation?

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Yes, of course. A poet is a man of the universe, a thinker of humanity even from ancient times. He contemplates on human nature and discovers his love for poetry. He composes sentiments and experiences to build up images of human contact in the society he lives in. He observes the whispers of the universe and weaves them word by word applying his sentimental world. Thus, by observation, critical thinking, emotional response and continuous studying he gets to know the temporal as well as the eternal essence of life and universe so as to communicate it through poetry.

NILAVRONILL: It is an established fact that every poet should create his or her own poetic language as an unique literary signature that would eventually keep him or her alive beyond his or her time. I would like to know your personal experience in this regard, and how can one achieve that unique literary language in his or her lifetime?

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Every poet expresses himself or herself in a personal way creating his or her own poetic language. It becomes his or her literary signature. My mind power triggers my imagination and my sentimental heart puts it into words. My lines carry emotional power. Personification, figurative language, word repetition and vivid imagery are used in my poetry. I love using language appealing to senses. My interests and experiences throughout my life took the form of writing in verses and established my own poetic language -the tear of my soul. That unique literary language is the result of the way I respond to the world I live in.

NILAVRONILL: Do you consider particular language, culture and nationality shape up the poet’s literary self? What is your personal experience being a Greek poet? I would like to understand how much and in what way your language, your culture as well as your nationality paved your literary self.

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Every culture and nationality shape up the poet’s literary self. I was taught poetry and prose in school textbooks -poems dealing with Greek tradition, family, friends, religious, historic or contemporary matters, death, life, poems that talk about promising start for the future. My teachers in elementary and high school affected my love for language and encouraged its growth. As far as my poetry is concerned, my imagery may refer to a specific natural landscape of my country or I sometimes incorporate idiom words in my poems. My lines also respond to historical events; independence struggles and cultural traditions. These are indications that nationality has paved my literary self although a poet's imagination knows no borders.

NILAVRONILL: No literature can survive without communicating with different languages and cultures, as well as various literary and cultural traditions and heritages. I would like to know your opinion regarding the growth and evolution of Greek literature.

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Cultural traditions and heritage contribute to communicating literature worldwide. It is the beauty of cross-cultural exchange. In particular, Ancient Greek literature shaped language and culture. Greek mythology symbolizes power. Epic, lyric, tragedies, comedies, philosophy developed in Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods in Ancient Greece. Homer is the writer of the two epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey with Achilles and Odysseus their main heroes. Sophocles, Euripides, Plato, Aristotle dealt with universal themes of human nature forming in this way our historical and intellectual heritage that influenced the Western civilization. Ancient writings educate and inspire. They provide insight into human values, passions, morals, complexities and heroic deeds. In my opinion ancient literature is a timeless treasure to explore. It transcends time.

NILAVRONILL: Greek literature has a great heritage. I would like to know your viewpoints on contemporary Greek literature. Where does it stand now in comparison with its past glory?

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Greek language is as beautiful as Greece itself. Literary production remains rich, large and outstanding nowadays. Contemporary literature lies mostly on narrations embodying cultural elements, autobiography, fairytales, personal stories or writings on historic past, everyday life or future. There have been a lot of prominent contemporary Greek writers and poets such as Seferis (he was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Literature by the Royal Swedish Academy), Kazantzakis (his books are translated and read worldwide), Cavafy (with his great historical, philosophical, erotic works), Elytis (he was awarded the Nobel Prize), Papadiamantis (a humble writer).Poetry-a Greek word -continues to shine all over the world carrying on its past glory.

NILAVRONILL: Literature encompasses every aspect of life; it blends the various shades and textures of human aspirations as well as drawbacks. It also lights up the new horizons and new dimensions of human capabilities relentlessly. I would like to know your particular viewpoints; how do you relate all these in your own writings?

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Literature exposes all painful moments of humanity. It enlightens good will, people’s endeavours to fulfil their dreams. It condemns vice and hostilities. My writings include all aspects of life. They depict human sorrows, violence, passion, hopes and aspirations, people’s sad or cheerful disposition, environmental worries, equality and human rights issues. My verses call for understanding human relationships, inspire for change, ask for optimism or urge for contemplation.

NILAVRONILL: We cannot live immune to the sociopolitical disturbances of our surroundings. How much these disturbances make substantial impacts upon your literary self? Do you actually respond to all these factors through your words? I mean in your poetry, especially.

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Surely, we cannot live untouched by the sociopolitical disturbances around us. We are faced with so many problems from climate change to social movements. I am grieved over the loss of human innocence. I am deeply affected by any kind of unfair behaviour, violent attack or war issue. I use words to activate thinking and convey messages that can change the world. I would like to create awareness on contemporary issues and become an activist through poetry words. I hope for a better society that respects the environment, adopts nonviolent verbal or physical behaviour patterns, is helpful and considerate. I envision a world that believes what is right and embraces light.

NILAVRONILL: Is it possible to put into the words everything that as a poet you wish to express literarily? If not, why?

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: Unspoken words and inner complex thoughts can be expressed literarily. To the absolute extent? I cannot tell exactly. The point in poetry is to involve the reader, to influence him the way you feel, to make him read through your lines. I could say that sometimes even the words could slightly lack the exact power of the real feeling (a tear drops, a wide smile, nodding, stress, nervous movements) that the poet experiences at the time of writing. There are too many things to be told, too many words to be written but in the end the reader's interaction depends on his or her own soul reflection. Every poet has his or her own personal style. The reader just opts for whoever touches his or her own soul.

NILAVRONILL: How would you evaluate your contemporaries and what are your aspirations for or expectation from the younger generation?

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: A plurality of poetry practice is reflected in journals, reviews, anthologies. There are a lot of contemporary poets that deal with important issues in their poetry, show openly their worries on world matters, tackle philosophical or political subjects universally. They use their own kind of language and imagery. They aspire for changes and portray their personal opposition in their lines. They even act as peace ambassadors. A poetic voice is a human’s voice that needs to be heard. It carries people’s voice. It is the essence of humanity. As far as my expectations from the younger ones are concerned, I long for more future poetic voices. I urge students from my classes to love reading literature and poetry, write down their inner thoughts and take part in poetry competitions. Some of them have already shown interest and they now like writing poems on their own. They have even received awards in poetry competitions but the most important of all is their creative participation in the beautiful literature world as well as their involvement in studying poets' biographies and poems.

NILAVRONILL: We are almost at the end of the interview. I remain obliged to you for your participation. Now, personally I would like to know your honest opinion about Our Poetry Archive. Since April 2015 we are publishing and archiving contemporary world poetry each and every month. Thank you for sharing your views and spending much time with us.

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: The pleasure is mine. Thank you once more for your kindness to invite me to this interview. I participated with gratitude and appreciation. Our Poetry Archive remains a highly esteemed contemporary world poetry voice sharing love, hope and creativity messages globally. It is a source of knowledge and wisdom. Hearty congratulations on this significant literary and poetry universal journey that plays an important part on the international poetry scene.

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: She was born in 1971 in Farsala Greece. She graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with honors in 1993 and then worked as a tutoring school owner for 6 years. After that, she successfully passed the ASEP exams and was appointed to the high school in Astakos Messolongi. She has been teaching English in the 1st General Lyceum of Farsala since 2000. She attended various seminars on her subject as well as on psychology, computing and environmental protection issues. She loves literature, poetry, travelling and dancing. She writes poems in Greek and English. She has been awarded several poetry prizes in national and global poetry competitions so far. Her poems have been included in Poetry Anthologies, newspapers, magazines, online magazines. Some of her poems in Greek have been translated into Portuguese and English. She participated in International Poetry Festivals. She is an elected vice mayor in her town. She had been the president of a local cultural club concerning Epirus traditions and customs for six years (2018-2024). She is a member of the Board of the Academy of Farsala and a member of the Board of the Chess Club in Farsala.

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA

Echoes In The Fog

Walking in the fog

whispering your name

that lonely night

when uncanny noises

were heard in the distance afar

a burning tear dropped on my cheek.

Blind with desperate love

I screamed out of passion

in the desert of my feelings.

My words echoed in the fog

as a real friend ...

Then I stood still.

My body was on fire.

The wind covered my hair

with the petals of a rose

and an owl called the sound of your name.

Gipsy footsteps followed my path

and I never turned back.

©®Xrysoula Foufa

My Religion Is Love

Sacred thoughts in sacred places

build your temple.

Your heart as a piece of jewellery

stands there as if a temple itself.

A secret niche well hidden

in the inner self.

You kneel.

You pray.

You let yourself in God's hands.

Religion is love.

Love resembles religion.

The evil rests in exile.

Goodness prevails

like the mast of a ship in the sea vastness.

Love flows like water in a river

for every traveler to quench his thirst.

Loving hearts have no religion.

©® Xrysoula Foufa

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA

ΧRYSOULA FOUFA: She was born in 1971 in Farsala Greece. She graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with honors in 1993 and then worked as a tutoring school owner for 6 years. After that, she successfully passed the ASEP exams and was appointed to the high school in Astakos Messolongi. She has been teaching English in the 1st General Lyceum of Farsala since 2000. She attended various seminars on her subject as well as on psychology and environmental protection issues. She loves literature, poetry, travelling and dancing. She has been awarded several poetry prizes in national and global poetry competitions so far. Her poems have been included in Poetic Anthologies, newspapers, magazines. She participated in International Poetry Festivals. She is an elected vice mayor in her town. She had been the president of a local cultural club concerning Epirus traditions and customs for six years (2018-2024). She is a member of the Board of the Academy of Farsala and a member of the Board of the Chess Club in Farsala.

XHULI SPAHIU

The Poem That Never Dies

On the journey of words, beneath a boundless sky,

where thoughts transform into newborn stars,

the poets walk — from every shore and every land,

bearers of light that warms even the coldest earth.

Opa Poets, like oaks in the storms of time,

their roots deep in sorrow, in love, in the world,

while their branches rise toward the human heavens,

where verses become wings, golden flights of spirit.

The poets of the globe, with voices shifting like seas,

write of days that burn, of nights that weep,

of the child who dreams, of the person who hopes,

of every heart searching for a fragment of light.

And yet, one truth binds them all:

their words are never merely words,

but breath that revives the soul,

and moves the world softly, like a hidden rhythm.

And so, poetry continues —

like a sea that never stops its waves,

like a sun that rises equally for all,

like a song that enters the heart

without asking permission.

Do Not Forget Your Roots

My children,

when the road leads you far away

and maps speak to you in foreign tongues,

do not lose your own voice

in the noise of the world.

Exile is strong,

it makes you grow up fast

and sometimes

teaches you how to smile

even when the soul is tired.

But remember this:

strength is not enduring in silence,

strength is remaining yourself.

Do not measure yourselves

by the gold you earn,

but by the honor you keep.

Bread can be found anywhere,

but dignity —

only if you keep it clean.

When longing tightens your chest at night,

and my name comes without knocking,

know that my prayer

has wrapped around you

before the coats of foreign winters.

Speak kindly,

work honestly,

and do not forget to forgive.

The world is vast,

but the human heart

remains the truest home.

If you fall, rise without shame.

If you win, bow with dignity.

Do not forget the language,

the song,

the name I first called you by.

And when you return,

even if your hair has turned gray too soon,

my door will be the same,

like my heart:

open.

Because you are my longest journey,

and my quietest pride.

XHULI SPAHIU

XHULI SPAHIU (04/11/1969)–Gjilanë-Kosovo 🇽🇰 Poet and writer who firmly believes in the power of words to change people's lives. Through her poems and books, she shares messages of positivity, hope, and peace, inspiring readers to think deeply and find strength within themselves. Her mission is to help others through her writings, offering light in difficult moments and guidance for a more mindful and harmonious life. Three times featured in the Book of Records for her peaceful mission and internationally recognized as a peace icon, she uses every word as a tool to open hearts and sow hope. For her, writing is not just an art – it is a way to connect people, spread love, and create a better world, one sentence and one poem at a time.

WENDY WEBB

That Time Of Year:

Turkey And Parachute

The pain spreads like a wall, no, a boiler suit

up to the neck in muddy Derbyshire water

chilling to crawling tunnels and tight corners

beneath winter snow on a hillside long ago.

Do you see the robin on that branch?

The throb in one eyeball, no, wrapped around

damp forehead like a motorbike helmet

when the laws changed to illegal requirements.

There’s a yellow-breast hanging from the peanut feeder

ignoring shop-bought bluetit mix.

You know, of course, the dull heartache on your tide

of paper boats’ ready-about to wind flow chance.

That moment hanging from the sky

when the airfield’s vanished beneath buffeting drop

turning into wind of a slow landing backwards

when there’s no way to change fate.

Blue rump of the magpie’s bounce and peck,

then silence is too heavy to string together words

as exhaustion evaporates last flop onto sofa

and plans/timings are fired like bullets over the fence.

Scent turkey roasts another day, moist and rich

as plates of trimmings on an early Christmas table

and wine poured until that empty bottle or two,

then hear: there are carols, candles lit, and friends.

Three Haiku

The hedgehog scratches

air-snuffles off mortal coir.

Sleep ball unrolls thaw

Puddles reflect sky,

leaning closer there’s just mud

leaf worried and churned

Ruby in the sun

acer drops rouge gorge downpour

poppy-bright foils earth

View With A Walk

I roll around a straggle of strangers

and one day beside the sea

promenading with a view

of sky of light of sand and seagulls

the mile up up up to that next pier

sink slowly into my seat

and watch youth and age striding past.

Then steeply catatonic steps up the cliff

for sunset at the hotel.

Breath gasping with damp air

steam spreads on dripping leaves

beneath rising tree trunks

earthy forgiving footprints

rolling all terrain dances with pebbles

pausing beside the railing

glimpse through twitching leaves

thundering thrall of rushing water

and bedrock stumbles

grasp of a wobbling stick

and seat with a view of tumbling water

The scent of cider at the Golden Rule

strong proof with a pork pie or ready salted

as the rumble roll rollater winds round and up and down

along narrow streets of cagoules and boots

one-way traffic jams and puddles

to slump into the sofa’s reviving cushions.

WENDY WEBB

WENDY WEBB loves nature, wildlife, symmetry and form and the creative spark. Published in Reach, Sarasvati, Quantum Leap, Crystal, Dreich, Seventh Quarry, The Journal, The Frogmore Papers, Acumen, Drawn to the Light; online in Littoral, Lothlorien, Autumn Voices, Wildfire Words, Our Poetry Archive, Atlantean, Poetry Kit, Amateur Gardening, Leicester Literary Journal, Drawn to the Light, Poetry Wivenhoe, Seagulls (Canada), forthcoming: Poetry Breakfast; broadcast Poetry Place. Book: Love’s Floreloquence; Landscapes (with David Norris-Kay) from Amazon; free downloads of other poetry from Obooko.

TANJA AJTIC

Stone

Stone upon stone

my house is built.

In the threshold of the front door

a venomous snake is walled in,

to drive away evil and frighten

those who are not welcome,

the unwanted and the thieves.

Its poison still flows beneath

the threshold for wild

animals thirsty for blood

and hungry as well.

Stone upon stone,

a wall around me

so I do not allow evil

to enter my soul,

so that even in the inner courtyard

I may be preserved,

within myself

feeling free.

Time

The rain is come,

the downpour

that washed everything

all nature

relentlessly

and too much

for one life

without an umbrella

for a life without

a raincoat.

Broke sky

crying

for us and

instead of us

small

as we

hurt everything, we touch.

Us small and sinful,

and then it rained

to bathe us and

remind us to be better people.

And time

flows irretrievably and does not stop

until we reach the station

where we need to get off

and get on another train

into another dimension and

projection

into another form that is purgatory

to the future life of a

new, sinless one

like babies born

angels,

and then all over again

like nature, as animals

and people, we are born

and the rain doesn't bother us

because it is like holy water

falls and cleans the world.

It makes us get away from it

instead of dancing in the rain.

TANJA AJTIC

TANJA AJTIĆ was born in Belgrade, Serbia, where she lived and studied. She graduated from two schools: the Law Bureau Technical School and the Program Organizer and Cultural Arts School, both in Belgrade. She also studied at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, majoring in Serbo-Croatian Language and Literature. Until 2002, she worked as a civil law secretary at the Federal Court of Yugoslavia. Since 2002, she has been living and creating in Vancouver, Canada. In the summer of 2023, she returned to Belgrade, Serbia. She is a member of several literary groups and associations, including the Society of Belgrade Writers. Her poems and short stories have been published in over 200 books, anthologies, e-books, and magazines. Her works have appeared in numerous languages, including English, Serbian, Chinese, Croatian, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French. She has participated in numerous poetry recitals around the world. In the spring of 2018, she won an award at the “Pegasus” competition organized by the Literary Youth of Serbia in Belgrade, for the publication of her first poetry collection Outlines of Love. The book was featured at the 2018 Belgrade Book Fair and the 2019 Toronto Book Salon. She was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Anthology of the 30 Best Writers by the Association of Writers of Australia. In the same year, she won first place for foreign authors in Tuzla Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and second prize from the Serbian Library in London, UK. Tanja has participated in multiple book fairs with her own book Outlines of Love, and in numerous anthologies alongside other authors.

SIAMIR MARULAFAU

Unrequited Love

Across a thousand miles of sea I drift,

though mountains remain unscaled

your face dissolves into mist,

and only seagulls dive through emptiness,

their cries slicing the breathless air

The wind turns against me;

the sky, stripped of mercy, withholds its light

My sorrow splinters upon the vessel I inhabit,

chasing blossoms that never bloom on land

My heart—adrift, uncertain

lingers at a harbor that no longer remembers me

Where shall this restless longing moor again?

Love uncertain no longer burns;

it flickers into shadow,

reaching for warmth that does not return

Awaken, my love

for desire is but the play of dust and dream

At dusk, the body bends upon the waiting pier,

its season of bloom long gone

The petals wilt before the sun arrives,

and wealth cannot buy back the tide

Even the waves withdraw from the poor,

refusing the embrace of sorrow

Think, my heart—think,

before twilight sinks into the brittle earth;

for love, once exiled to foreign shores,

is destined to vanish

scorched into silence

beneath the merciless sun

December 7th, 2025

How Can I Miss The Love

Never I get rid of from the real

That the love I kept in heart

Is really a true love

So far I keep the flower in thy life

Never I betray for a while

But what happen in today’s time

Still a question…

To whom I address the love

If not for the beautiful flower

Since then I used to appreciate

Tell me what to do

Before the sun comes down

Life is just for a moment

I am in the love

I appreciate what I have seen

It is not a secret love

But it is a true…

Never be found around the world

SIAMIR MARULAFAU

SIAMIR MARULAFAU: (Indonesia) He is a bilingual poet, writer and author who writes in English and Indonesian language. He has published 9 books. He is an active member of various poetry groups on Facebook and participates in many poetry contests. His writings are part of several national and international magazines, newspapers, journals and anthologies. He has won many awards for his poetry. Currently, he works as Associate Professor at the Faculty of Vocational, University of Sumatra Utara, Medan-Indonesia

SAJID HUSSAIN

Elegy Of A Withering Essence

Existence transcribes itself in dialects of sorrow,

I dwell beneath time’s eroded, ancient strata,

One wave ascends then perishes in stillness,

All forms dissolve in dusk’s oblique design.

This path regresses to familiar desolations again,

The self-succumbs to structured helpless repetition,

I could not hinder despair’s advancing tide,

Each surge negates volition’s silent discourse.

Temporal haze occludes the astral canopy,

Imagination fades, no archetype endures whole,

Life stages its scenes in fractured symmetry,

With devoid of telos, method, or interior logic.

No pulse conveys warmth through reasoned breath,

No ember remains in the hearth of mind,

Each dawn tolls a dirge of mute decline,

Where intellect dissolves and passion recedes.

Former sparks of sentience have extinguished,

Only vestiges persist in thought’s pale ruins,

A consciousness once pulsed with sacred longing,

Now stilled beneath abstraction’s cooling veil.

No cadence traverses the aether’s silent field,

No chroma blooms through the spectral void,

Who walks aligned with time’s entropic axis?

Even youth now wears the veil of mist.

That fervor once sanctified in inward ache,

Lies dormant, shorn of vision or intent,

O life, release me from this void,

Where sorrow reigns and being withers.

Some sentient heart must still remain,

Attuned to grief's epistemic resonance.

Mind endures in the ruins of cognition,

Its ache inscribed in conceptual ash.

The Mirror Of Resonance

Bound by the fetters of recollection,

A thought is sundered from thy presence,

Affliction dawns not as anguish,

But as a subtle with ineffable wound,

It reverberates with echoes too expansive for containment,

A solitary image coursing through the river of remembrance,

Imposes its resonance with prime majesty,

No silence lingers but bears thy theme,

No breath escapes devoid of thee,

To exile the bond from thought is to exile breath,

The corridors of the past are creeping blinks,

Each is an awakened shadow long concealed,

Sorrow’s fading seam reopens time’s disguise,

Drifts endlessly tides of long-lost sigh,

Time unfolds itself in the mirror of resonance,

The cracks of broken moments bleeds across the soul.

SAJID HUSSAIN

Dr. SAJID HUSSAIN (b. Feb 1, 1969, Morgah, Rawalpindi, Pakistan) is an award-winning poet, educator, and literary advocate whose work champions humanity, nature, peace, and cultural exchange. A senior Chemistry teacher, Master Trainer in “Low Cost and No Cost Science Material,” homeopathic doctor, and former principal, he has authored acclaimed poetry collections including Acquits of Life, Parlance, Cloud Nine Fantasia, Oceanic Upwelling, Waves and Rays of the Life, Insight Beyond the Mists, Life’s Chaos on Edge, and Shades of Pathos. He has co-authored and contributed to numerous international anthologies, such as Flowers of Love, Poets for Peace, Poetry for Ukraine, and The Silk Road Literature and compiled Pakistani English Poets Prodigy (USA). With over 1600 poems published in 500+ anthologies, magazines, blogs, websites worldwide and translated into multiple languages, Dr. Hussain’s work is celebrated for its empathy, eloquence, and global resonance. Recipient of honours including the Shahitya Pata Award and Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Literary Honours and so many, he continues to inspire dialogue, social justice, peace and cross-cultural understanding through literature.

RUPA RAO

Eve Of Self Reflection

Twinkling snowflakes twirl down from heavens above,

Sprinkle grace, embrace empathetic earth with love.

Scorched soil burnt by heartless bears searing scars,

Terra seeks solace for oozing wounds from mindless wars.

Winter’s enforced isolation imparts age-old tested lore,

Hibernation amidst cruelty, heals to revive & restore.

Not all must end with summer’s champagne and rose,

wintry caresses mend what shortsightedness once chose.

With freezing chill, winter bids us reflective pause,

mends ruptured bonds, addressing fickle flaws.

Pristine veil of snow conceals harshness of past,

tender touch soothes choices impulsively fast.

Broken vows, piercing sharp words still sting,

distancing as migrating birds fly on winter’s wing.

Songbirds shall return when icy winds subside,

Greed and ego freeze, true closeness is denied.

Life’s grand design directs soul's personal quest,

leaves lasting legacy, to stand with honor blessed.

To right missteps dissolving regret’s rotting chains,

Winter hours in freezing glory invite reflection’s gains.

Time it is to tie loose ends, for new beginnings to rise,

Dazzling dawn awaits beneath frosty winds of gray skies.

Limericks

Sam throws tantrums with a gusto

tears wet screaming manifesto

kicking legs up in air

shoes socks presto un-pair

stuck in gaping hole smiles big toe

Tina made snow angels pretty

stuck her tongue to lamp post gritty

tongue glued to frozen pole

Tommy swore he saw hole

she wiped his sense of funny witty

Historical facts on chopping block

readers and historians in shock

comedy costs her

inkers tip toe softer

erased books hide to break king's lock

Tattered towel scratched velvety skin

bloodied trail let silly frenzy win

mama came running

ketchup grinned cunning

image smiles goofy on cookie tin

#Tankerickation (Tanka-Limerick-alliteration)

Wiggly tooth wiggles

bites tangy ticklish pickles

tooth sticks in pickle

gets girl gaggle to giggle

belching from toothy pickle

RUPA RAO

RUPA RAO holds an MBA and a Law degree. She is an admin at LWG and Chief Coordinator for "International Academy of Ethics". Her writings are featured in multiple global poetry anthologies, magazines and literary platforms. She juggles writing, hosting poetry sessions and author chats online. She is into nature walks, yoga, and constantly seeks to nurture her soul. She has co-authored, curated and edited 7 poetry anthologies, 1 prose in addition to one novella and 2 poetry anthologies for writer friends. A biography is in edit phase to be published soon.

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