Saturday, August 1, 2026
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR INTERVIEW
NILAVRONILL TALKING WITH
POET OF THE MONTH
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR
NILAVRONILL: Welcome to Our Poetry Archive. Since April
2015 we are publishing and archiving contemporary world poetry each and every
month. Up to the last month we have published 135 monthly issues and 12 Year
Book. I hope you would also like OPA very much, like hundreds of poets around
the world.
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: I am honoured and feel privileged to be a part of your long marathon of serving humanity in the literary and linguistic domains. I am glad to bear the torch of this literary marathon in my hand. I assured you that I will keep it up to illuminate and keep away the darkness of ignorance and prevailing superstitions around and more particularly among the underprivileged people of the world. I am grateful to you my dear friend and honourable global poet from the core of my heart because you have been working with your such a high level of dedication that have changed our thinking process to work for the upliftment of the society. You have always attached importance to the basic human values like peace, harmony, friendship, sympathy and compassion, and so on. We are proud working under your literary and scholarly leadership. You have made us feel like a community to work together to turn this world in to a beautiful place to live together with peace, love and happiness. Your personality is very charismatic and commanding for us. Therefore, we have always supported you wholeheartedly and submitted our work within stipulated time frame. We will extend our hands of cooperation in future too. My best wishes will always remain with you.
NILAVRONILL:
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. And
about your favourite writers in the growing phase of your life.
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: Well, I think I was born to serve the
literature and poetry. When I opened my eyes, I found there books and magazines
all around me in my house because my father Shahab Qazipuri was a veteran poet
and writer. Hence, the language and literature were in blood since my
childhood.
Literature
and poetry are instruments in my view to serve the humanity though my pen and
paper. I am a progressive in my writings. I believe that we the writer and
poets of the world can bring revolutionary changes in the life of downtrodden
and less privileged people. The world has witnessed a paradigm shift after the
invention of printing press and now with change of technology our life styles
have drastically changed. The literature is a mirror of society and
simultaneously an instrument to reform the society. I see that the contemporary
sensitivity is must for a visionary poet. I mean, your works must reflect the
collective consciousness and style of that particular period in which a poet is
leading his life. We grasp the accept the collective psyche of our common
geopolitical and environmental that we share rampant around us. If we go
through the Sociological study of literature, we can see the life of our
legends and their left Heritages.
Indeed, my
father has been my role model in poetry and I have been very fascinated to his
prose poems. His prose poetry was splendid. Later on, I was influenced by the
work of John Done, Milton, Lord Tennyson, Shakespeare, the Big Six of Romantic
Movement and T S Elliot in poetry. Apart from this, I have been greatly
influenced by Mirza Ghalib, Sir Muhammad Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. In my most
favourite poets from the world literature, I like Persian poets Sheikh Sadi,
Umar Khayyam and Jalal Uddin Rumi. As far as the American literature is
concerned, Ezra Pound, Rudyard Kipling and Robert Frost have been my all-time
favourite poets. I like the poems “Ode to Nightingale” by John Keats, “Miles to
go before I sleep” and “The Road Less Traveled By” of Robert Frost and “In a
Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound have been my all-time favourites.
NILAVRONILL: I think living together with a particular language is
very much essential in writing poems in any particular language. And this
experience makes a poet more mature in his or her literary writings. I would
like to know your own experiences, especially when you write both in your own
language and in a foreign language such as English.
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: Well, first of all I
would like to share with you that India is a peculiar country because it is
multilingual and multiracial country. We have more than one sources of
traditional knowledge and wisdoms. Our provinces are constituted on the basis
their regional languages and spoken dialects. We have Hindi as our National
language. Apart from this we have been a British Colony till the last century.
Hence, English is our connecting and working language to which connects north
and south including North-east states. I have learned Urdu as my mother tongue,
Hindi as the National language, English as a third language, Persian as an
extra language which is considered essential to polish and refine your mother
tongue viz Urdu. It is admitted that many genres have come in Urdu from the
Persian literature. I have learned Arabic in my childhood because our Quran is
in Arabic language. We were aware of traditional literature of Arabia, Sanskrit
and Persian as their epics are very common in India.
NILAVRONILL: Our Indian subcontinent had a colonial past. We too
are the product of this colonial legacy through our education, social
upbringings and political cultures. Consciously or even unconsciously most of
our literary works bear this marks either explicitly or implicitly. I would
like to know your own experience on this matter, in respect of your own
literary works.
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: Yes, it is true. My professor Perin C. Mehta was a British. She was a founder Principal of Jamshedpur Women’s College. She has taught us poetry with the help of Globe, Atlas and the books of History of English Literature. Her teaching style was unique and different from the conventional teaching style and approaches of Indian professors. We have learned how to study from her unique style of reciting and explanations of poems through an unconventional method. She always used to say us "live like a living being." She wanted that we do not wear the same clothes for two days continuously. We should wear a fresh dress everyday. We should shave daily and keep ourselves neat and clean always. She has taught us Shakespeare's tragic drama 'Othello' so impressively that no other professor could do it. She always starts with the explanation of cultural and geographical background of any piece of art, which was supposed to cover during her teaching. I have learned the style of creative writing from her and the style of how to read a poem or drama with utmost effective manners and so on. Since we are colonial brother, we can understand the great impact on the modern education system. Our Indian syllabi also have been under the great influence of British education system. Indian English poetry has still under the influence of British and Colonial education system.
NILAVRONILL: Is
it possible to put into the words everything that as a poet you wish to express
literarily? If not, why?
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: I believe that the
great poets are always keep themselves ahead of their time and era. They are
the torchbearers of their societies and civilisations, as for example Mirza
Ghalib, Kali Das, Rumi and Shakespeare, and so on. They are considered to be
taller than their contemporary poets because they do the things differently.
All great poets create their own language or diction to convey their unique
thoughts to common people. They are like shepherd who can see farther and
faster than their cattle.
My personal experience is that practice
makes a man perfect. I have studied a number of great poets of English, Urdu,
Persian and Arabic. I have taken parts into many such activities since the age
of my college. I have read many books of literary criticism as well. I believe,
that every thought brings its own format and language. Whenever I sit to
compose a poem, the form and style come automatically with it. Now, I find my
style and diction are different from the contemporary poets which make my poems
distinguished signature in the literary world of my time.
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?
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: See, inquisitions are a must to any philosophical poet. All the great poets of the world have been pondering over the relation between human being and the universe. I also think about who is the creator of this vast universe and the galaxies which are beyond the access of human intellect. I myself has written poems about “Mirror of Time” and “Space”, wherein I have shown that in context of the span of a Universe a human life is less than even a smallest particle of the sand, which is lying there in desserts from millions of years. We human beings are mortal our bodies are temporal but our good deeds make us immortal. A work of love is joy forever like Taj Mahal. The art of beauty makes us eternal mark in the history of the world. There is some system by which this universe is established. We as poets can aware through our poetry to search that set rules by this world over is maintained and follow the same in our life and cosmos where from we get energy to grow and lead our day-to-day life.
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?
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: I
believe that the great poets are always keep themselves ahead of their age and
era. They are the torchbearers of their societies and civilisations. They are
considered to be taller than their contemporary poets because they do the
things differently. All great poets create their own language or diction to
convey their unique thoughts to common people. They are like shepherd who can
see farther and faster than their cattle. My personal experience is that
practice makes a man perfect. I have studied a number of great poets of
English, Urdu, Persian and Arabic. I have taken parts into many such activities
since the age of my college. I have read many books of literary criticism as
well. I believe, that every thought brings its own format and language.
Whenever I sit to compose a poem, the form and style come automatically with
it. Now, I find my style and diction are different from the contemporary poets
which make my poems a distinguished signature in the literary world of my time.
NILAVRONILL: Do you think literary criticism has much to
do with the development of a poet and the true understanding of his or her
poetry?
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: Yes, I agree that criticism is essential for a good creative work. The
critical thinking go with the art work since its inception. We are human beings
are critics, because we express our good or bad feeling with our liking and or
disliking. Even a new born baby cries when she feels hungry and expresses her
views about her bad feeling. A healthy criticism is always welcome. It helps a
poet to sharpen his/her craftsmanship to make one’s work more effective and
useful to the society. The criticism makes us mature in our skill and
craftsmanship. Apart from this, a criticism helps us to understand the work of
great poets in a more effective manner. A critic to me is as a leader of
artist, who guide us how to go ahead and prepare beforehand to tackle all the
hurdles which are supposed to come in the way of a masterpiece. A critic makes
the study of our epics of past easy and facilitate us to understand it better.
Thus, of course, I think literary criticism has much to do with the development
of a poet and the true understanding of his or her poetry.
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?
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: I am
a multidimensional writer. My writing has been changing as per my academic
growth and experiences. Fundamentally, my writing comprises on short stories,
poems and children’s stories. Well, as a writer and a poet my role changes
according to my target readers. If I write for children, the purpose of my
writing is to inculcate the reading habits among them and promote good human
values into them to make them rule abiding good citizens and ultimately good
human beings. Furthermore, if I write stories for my adult readers, I try to
make them aware about the rampant evils of the society and try to give them
idea to eradicate these evils from the society, as for example the poverty,
illiteracy, superstitions, drugs and crimes. I would rather try to make them
understand about to be a better citizens and good neighbours by their behaviour
and interaction with the society. We are combating with wars also which needs
to be stopped as soon as possible. As far as my poetry is concerned, I try to express
my inquisitions about helplessness human beings before unfathomable vastness of
the universe. I try to share my notion of love and mysticism, the relation
between man and God. What is the purpose of being a human. There are infinite
topics from piles of garbage to the galaxy about whom a poet can express his
views. I am also such a poet; therefore, my stories and poems encompass all
such sorts of themes with full depth of my knowledge, intelligence, vision,
sensitivity and observations of reality whichever have come across me and my
life.
NilavroNill: Would you consider, it should be
the goal of a poet to enlightens the readers towards a much greater
apprehensions of life and eternity in general? Or is it better to write poems
only to console the poet’s soul? Do you believe, literature can eventually help
people to uplift human conscience?
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: Yes, I
agree with the first part of your question. I think the function of poetry is
to enlighten the readers toward a much greater apprehension of life and
eternity in general. However, in return poets get consoles of their heart and
soul, as well. Literary activity including poetry is also, indeed, a social
activity, which needs to be socially useful to its end users. Poetry is an
intellectual product and the consumers have right to purchase only those items
which are beneficial and advantageous to them, because they spend their
valuable time and money on such products. Literature is considered to be such a
subject matter, which strives to convert us in better human beings. I
personally feel literature can enlighten our wisdom and uplift our conscience.
The poets can bring revolution in the life of a nation. Even our contemporary
world which is the witness of hatreds and wars, poet can create a favourable
public opinion against the war, hatred and violence by uniting the people from
across the world provided that the poetry must act as a catalyst to augment the
spirit of right knowledge and philosophy to expand the horizon of mind and
console the heart of the readers.
NILAVRONILL: How would you evaluate your contemporaries
and what are your aspirations for or expectation from the younger generation?
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR: I would
evaluate the work of my contemporary poets to focus on global issues. They must
rise above from individual isolation to address global crises, including
international conflicts, turmoil, and wars. They must take an active part in
social responsibility to remove violence and hatred from society. The poets
should not use poetry solely for personal emotional release. They must treat
literature as a functional, social tool that provides genuine value to the
readers. A poet’s true success lies in their ability to actively counter hatred
and violence by cultivating a united, compassionate global public opinion. As
we all know that aspirations for the younger generation acts as a philosophical
catalyst. Thus, younger poets must ensure their work serves to expand human
knowledge and build deeper philosophical understanding. The youth should write
with the primary intent of expanding the reader’s mental horizon, comforting
their heart, and helping them become better human beings. The next generation
must wield literature as a revolutionary force capable of transforming societal
mind-sets and uniting divided communities across the globe.
NILAVRONILL: We are almost at the end of the interview. I remain obliged to you for your participation. Thank you for sharing your views and spending much time with us.
PERWAIZ
SHAHARYAR: It
was a pleasure to me, my dear friend and hon’ble global poet NilavroNill. After
speaking with you, I am even more confident that my background in poetry, short
story and children’s story would allow me to make a positive impact here. I
look forward to hearing from your millions of poetry and story loving followers
and avid readers of Our Poetry Archive.
Dr. PERWAIZ
SHAHARYAR is a Consultant Editor in National Council of Educational
Research and Training, NCERT, Ministry of Education, Government of India. He
had been Principal Publication Officer in National Council for Promotion of
Urdu Language in 2007. He has been, a member of Advisory Board of National Book
Trust India. He has been a Member of Advisory Board of National Book Trust
India, several times Jury Member of Awards Committee of Sahitya Akademi New
Delhi and a Jury Member of International Doha Qatar Award Committee of India
and nominated Member of Management Committee of Skill Development of Teachers
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. He is a Multilingual (English, Hindi
and Urdu) famous poet, short story writer and critic from India. He is a
Graduate with English Honors from Ranchi University. He has topped Jawaharlal
Nehru University in Masters with Literature. He was awarded Doctor of
Philosophy for his Research Work from University of Delhi. He is a Post
Graduate Diploma holder in Calligraphy, Mass Media and in Book Publishing with
Specialization in Editing. Dr. Perwaiz Shaharyar has begun writing his poems in
English since lockdown in the period of Pandemic COVID-19. He has written
around 150 poems, participated in many worldwide online poets meets and
published in various international anthologies, so far. His more than two dozen
poems have been translated by many award-winning litterateurs in Polish,
Indonesian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Russian, French, German, Spanish,
Italian, Portuguese and Albania languages. His poems are being published in
several magazines within country and abroad. His poem ‘The Burning Boat’
contains mystic (Sufism) and metaphysical elements. He has bagged many States
and National Awards and accolades for his literary works. His around 200
articles and research papers have been published in reputed national and
international literary journals and periodicals. He has total 22 published
books, 3 each of collections of short stories and collections of poems, 5 books
of criticism and 4 books of translation from other languages in his credential.
His one children story book has been published by a premier organization
National Book Trust, India. He has translated 12 books of Children’s Literature
in Workshop mode for NBT, India, so far.
His 2 books on children’s stories were published from most prestigious
publication houses of India. Furthermore, his anthology of 40 selected poems
entitled “The Burning Boat” was published in November 2025, by Book Leaf
Publishing, India, USA, UK. This book is Winner of the 21st Century
Emily Dickson Award.
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR
Destiny Versus Karma
What is the
destiny of human beings
Someone has
asked me about it
We all are
traveling in the same boat
Our voyage can
be a cheerful journey
If we trust that
ours is the same destiny
We have come
from dust
We will have to
go to the dust
Everything
including our arrogance and ego
Have to leave
here with other materials
Only our spirits
will meet the almighty
Like a drop of
water lost in ocean
The ocean is
nothing except a store of drops
But together it
can create Tsunami
It can sink
mountains
And it can bring
rains
It can help
create fertility of land
It has infinite
power and force
However, an
individual drop of water
Cannot quench
the thirst of a sparrow
Cannot wet the
beak of hummingbird
The destiny of
human beings altogether
Can make the
world a paradise on earth
However, the
destiny of a arrogant king
Can turn the
paradise into hell
Now, we all
human beings have to decide
And prioritize
Whether require
hell or paradise
Destiny in
nothing but our Karma
As we sow, so we
will reap
Like begets
like, smile begets smile and weep begets weep
Copyright ©️
Dr. Perwaiz Shaharyar,
I Am A Man Of Destiny
I am a man, who
believes in good or bad destiny
These have been
written in my DNA 🧬
Like QR code,
which has natural patterns
Which guide us
like a road map
To lead our
pre-planned destinations
I will work only
that much as already mentioned
On the epitome
of my destination
Whatever, I do
from cradle to grave 🪦
Whatever, span
of life I have got
These are
previously brought into in my record
Sometimes, I
missed my train
But later on
catch up a plane
It was my
destiny, I believe
That's why I
always say to my friends
Do your best and
leave the rest
If something is
written in your luck
That will come
walking to you
Believe it, God
feeds both snake and sparrow
Hence, banish
business banish sorrow
To the God
belongs tomorrow
Copyright ©️
Dr Perwaiz Shaharyar
PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR
Dr. PERWAIZ SHAHARYAR is an Editor and a trilingual
(English, Hindi and Urdu) poet, short story writer and critic from India. He is
Graduate with English Honours from Ranchi University. He has topped Jawaharlal
Nehru University in Masters with Literature. He was awarded Doctor of
Philosophy for his Research Work from University of Delhi. He is Post Graduate
Diploma holder in Calligraphy, Mass Media and Book publishing. He has written
more than 100 poems, participated in many worldwide webinars and published in
various international anthologies, so far. His as many as 25 poems have been
translated by many award-winning litterateurs in Polish, Indonesian, Arabic,
Spanish, Portuguese and Albanian languages. The anthology of his 40 selected
poems ‘The Burning Boat’ containing mystic (Sufism) and metaphysical elements
was published in November 2025.
NITA B GEORGE
The Hunt
It stalks you,
Stalks you
And catches you.
Unaware.
The lines,
Strokes
Of the Great
Master
Deliver you
And
The hunt
Goes on.
Life Passes by
She
Lay
Old, shriveled,
alone
Just
Outside
The
Emergency ward
I
Paused
Then,
Moved
On.
NITA B GEORGE
NITA B GEORGE: Author...Nita B George
is a poet and a short story writer. A Post Graduate in English Literature from
the Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, she writes in English. She
has 37 years’ experience in teaching English to Degree students. She has
garnered in depth insights into young growing minds and these insights are
deeply ingrained in her poetic expression. She has mastered the art of
contraction in ideas and economizing on words in her poetry. Sometimes, the
number of words in her poems are just 18 including the title. Her adept use of
Imagery and poetic techniques make reading her works extremely delightful.
KAREEM ABDULLAH
In The Breath Of Destiny
I felt you in
the wind that caresses the sea,
in every wave
that bows to the sky to touch your name.
My veins are
rivers seeking your shore,
and my breath—a
white horse—runs toward your dreams.
Among the stars,
I have built a bridge of silence,
to walk toward
you with steps of desire.
Do not fear the
distance, nor the wait:
I am already on
the horizon where you call me.
And when time
casts its cloak over the evening,
you will find me
there—
in the heartbeat
you recognize as yours,
in the embrace
that knows no bounds.
A Hesitant Laugh
Its Charm Bottled In A Jar
She bowed her
heart, heavy with memories, burying its sharp pains.
She buried the
makeup of her life behind a bridge destined for an untimely death, and said
goodbye to what fate had shattered in the pockets of caprices. It continues, in
its sky,
the leaves of
salvation hover, adorned with the stumps of tears.
And among its
flowers, a hesitant laugh hides, amazed by the crowd of wrinkles.
A cacophony of
yellow spreads through the joints of its thresholds, its moans suffocating it.
Who tied the
wings of its tentacled dawn?
She shakes off
the legacy of isolation and the air that suffocates her every time a dream
caresses her hair, a dream that has abandoned her waking conversation.
And that cold
touch, timidly hastening,
repeats itself
in its distant circles.
A crack in her
heart widens.
Like a faceless
fetus,
shattering
everything else,
a warm whisper
lingers beneath his dream-soaked clothes,
trembling with
mourning.
Throats of
lament spill over his winter bed, tracing his bewilderment. He curls up under
the tattered blanket of a time that sweeps away his tender flowers.
His strings
murmur of piercing ghosts escaped from his window. Many promises, like arrows,
struggle impossibly among the branches of memory.
The strings of
calls grow hoarse, and the unconsciousness of estrangement devours his
pain-stricken day. Grief wallows in the shards of his mirror, practicing
anguish, burying his smiling yesterday in a thick crypt that dismantles the
rebirth of the future.
He entrusts his
secrets, prodigal of disappointment, to the pillows of absence.
Without
permission, he refines the hammer of displacement.
Her sleepy
waterwheels, from the windows of her days, escape the tranquility of her
imprisoned curtains, her enchantments locked in a bottle of suffocating
expectation in unknown ports. In her voice, the exhausting distances are
shortened in the neigh of femininity, while the topography intertwines in a
mirror that has smuggled the collapse of flowers, thus a torpor creeps in,
floating, covering the skin of hope.
KAREEM ABDULLAH
KAREEM ABDULLAH is an Iraqi poet,
writer and playwright. Born in Baghdad in 1962, Kareen Abdullah is the author
of "Baghdad in Its New Dress" (Book House 2015). His name has
appeared in many important Arabic literary magazines and he won the Tajdeed
Prose Poetry Prize in 2016. Kareem has published eight collections of poetry in
Arabic and his poems have been translated into numerous languages. Creator of
the highly successful cultural project that promotes poets and artists with the
critical literary and stylistic analysis that he carries out in collaboration
with the international cultural promoter Elisa Mascia - Italy, with subsequent
publications in Alessandria today Magazine and on the blog nonsoloarteepoesia
Magiche Emozioni dell'Anima. He is an official international member of Ciesart
and has been published in Humanity Magazine Global
RADKA MARINOVA LYULYAKOVA
R e v e l a t i o n
I have learned
to find joy in the smallest things,
And greet the
morning light with a grateful heart.
I borrow a spark
where the sunlight springs,
To illuminate my
path even through the night.
Along the
earthly road I walk, I’ve learned
To honor dignity
in every soul,
To tread with
care, mindful of each step,
And hold no
other responsible for my role or faults.
For feelings
that arise endure beyond their hour,
They live beyond
the moment they appear.
When giving
freely, joy reveals its true power—
This is the
lesson that earthly life imparts.
In every single
moment, I have come to see
That meaning
lies far deeper than what meets the eye.
Insight has
unveiled itself through passing days—
Life is vast,
profound, and undeniably true.
Each day I meet
the face of higher wisdom,
Alive with
infinite, creative fire.
Events unfold
before me in perfect alignment,
Formed precisely
to inspire.
I bow before the
great guiding force
That governs
through harmony’s deep design.
Did I seek it,
or did it summon me forth?
Through
understanding, it transforms my soul.
For everything,
a return is always found,
By sacred logic,
mighty and profound.
In this brief
life upon the earthly ground,
Give
generously—goodness always comes around.
And I am vital
within this boundless whole,
My presence
firm, my voice clearly heard.
My essence
visible—a world, a soul,
A single photon,
sparking earthly wisdom bright.
Coloring
My life unfolds
like a film in black and white,
Filled with
triumphs, failures, even shame.
The scenes were
chosen long ago, yet I—
With conscious
heart—must breathe color into them.
When fear
arises, the lines grow dark and tight.
When joy is
mine, the day smiles in return.
And when my
faithful friends walk close beside me,
I climb the
steep, long path with steady confidence.
Each fleeting
moment gains a splash of hue.
If shadows grow
too deep, I touch them with white.
My hopes and
dreams I share, sincere and true—
For humanity has
endured through light and dreams.
Experience now
teaches me how to blend,
To seek the most
harmonious and balanced tones.
Yet life does
not always unfold as I intend,
For time whirls
swiftly in its dancing flow.
It wisely
reminds me: color boldly and freely,
Infuse each
stroke with pure, profound feeling,
Seek beauty
everywhere with careful eyes,
And show the
good in colors bright and clear.
Thus life grows
vivid on this colored reel—
Through
feelings, hopes, and dreams, I make it shine.
At last I reach
the moment I can truly feel:
The light breaks
through, and the film begins to gleam.
RADKA MARINOVA LYULYAKOVA
RADKA MARINOVA LYULYAKOVA. She lives
and works in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She writes poetry and short stories. She has
published two books — Religion Love and Apocalypse… The Summer of 2006,
co-authored with Miglena Karavelova. Her poems and short stories have been
included in collections published by Bukvite and Mnogotochie. In electronic
format, her works can be found on Google, published by Biblioman and Libra
Scorp. Her short story Evolution of the Intellect won the award of the Fortuna
Writers’ Club in the national competition Mostove. Her poem Sonnet of
Admiration was published in Litteratour RW- November 2025.
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU
Cleanup
She came to
clean the house-
the dung of
Augeas.
I suppose it
would take
a new Hercules
to do it.
I was in
despair.
I begged her
not to leave me
alone
in there again.
“Sorry for the
mess,” I said,
asking to be
forgiven.
“I can no longer
keep his house
tidy.
I don’t know…
I don’t feel
like it…
I don’t love him
as I did.
Maybe I am
older.
Maybe I am
punishing him.
I will pay you
more.
Just bear our
dirt.
Take it away.
Throw it away.”
And she said:
“I was not meant
to be a
housekeeper.
But I need the
money.”
I felt worse.
But she needed
the money.
How could I push
her away
from her
destiny?
I could not
afford
to pay
for her lost
dreams too.
The Turtle
Is it wrong to
say
that I am
different?
That I admire
those
who express
themselves easily,
though I never
could?
I am going away,
my little one.
I grow wild.
I became angry
all at once
with everything
I should have
faced
long ago.
As long as you
were near,
you sweetened
me.
They say there
are no illusions.
But the face of
the world
changes
with the eyes
that see it
and the moment
that holds them.
So I peep from
inside my shell,
like a wise old
turtle
who lived two
hundred years
instead of one
hundred,
and is now
endangered.
Do turtles go
through menopause?
Or do they go
on,
carrying life
until the end?
They do, I
suppose.
I do not.
I am tired.
Most of all,
because of you.
You made me feel
we are no longer
needed
on this planet.
So why begin
again?
Whatever I once
admired
in my kind
faded to nothing
in your presence.
I am too tired
to build
everything
from the
beginning.
So here I
remain,
inside my shell,
preparing a long
journey
with all my
kind—
going to find
our destiny elsewhere,
hoping the
others
will justify
the reason for
their existence.
And perhaps I,
too,
will forget-
through
something quiet,
something I have
not yet known,
before I
disappear.
Through
somewhere
that does not
wound.
My Command
Live! Live!
Live!
Get away!
Stand upright!
Look ahead!
Force destiny
to face you
as a soldier.
That inner
impulse-
I will give it
to you.
I just need you.
Do not drag me
into pain.
I look at you
in the eyes—
with one bullet
in my forehead,
and another,
point-blank,
in my heart.
Ready within,
wayfarer.
Live! Live!
Live!
There is no
later.
Only
this moment—
take it.
©Chryssa Velissariou
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU
CHRYSSA VELISSARIOU is a physicist,
educator, and principal of the General Lyceum of Domeniko, based in Greece. She
is the founder of STEAMDUP EUROPE (NGO) and an active member of the social
cooperative “Smiling Sketches,” with strong involvement in European projects
(Erasmus+, Creative Europe) that combine science, art, and education. She
designs participatory actions, audiovisual productions, and innovative
educational programs with a focus on the environment and storytelling. As a
poet, she has received international distinctions, including 1st International
NBPF Beat Poet Laureate and NBPF Poet Laureate Lifetime, and serves as Poetry
Canada & International Peace Ambassador to Greece. Her work explores human
experience, vulnerability, and the search for meaning through creative
expression.
TETJANA HRYTSAN-CHONKA
The Eyes Of The Ukrainian Land
In the dripping
memories of love,
In the morning, I see the light, the stars.
Her blessed
eyes, her holy request.
I am with you,
even if the knitting needles
Want to measure
time.
I am with you, I
am by your side.
Love tenderly in
your thoughts,
My Word is always with you,
The blue gaze is
the God of Love.
The earthly and
blessed Savior...
Her dawning
eyes, her girlish longings,
Her bright movements, Her happy hands,
Her blessed
Yasas, her excessive, ours
Sensual worlds
are flooded with tears for years...
We have been washing ourselves in blood for
too long.
We have merged inhumanly with the war,
We haven't prayed in essence yet.
The enemy is still pressing on our world.
Happy Eyes - seven centuries, save your child,
Wash the waters, sanctify the sun.
A Precious Day Of Life
Find me among a
thousand buds,
Accept me, wrap
me with the mourning
Of my
yesterday's shadow,
My transparent
frothy
Words....
I am alive.
Bring me the
first kiss,
Swallow the
tears of earthly gifts....
Accept God's
wonders.
I am alive....
In the lavender
light, birds
Are flying home,
Roofs
Covered with
feathers of songs,
Day....
I am in the sky,
among the birds,
Carrying water,
sprinkling sins
Of yesterday's
kin....
I am from the
East....
I will learn
your Words,
I will give all
of myself
To the people...
*Sprinkling-----watering
TETJANA HRYTSAN-CHONKA
TETJANA HRYTSAN-CHONKA is a Ukrainian
poet, translator, and cultural diplomat, author of 15 poetry collections and
the novel-essay “Living Doors.” As co-author of over 200 international
anthologies, she has received prestigious awards (Kafka, Böll, Hemingway,
Burns, Dreiser, among others) and holds the World Order of Cultural Diplomacy
and the title of “Ambassador of Peace.” Her poetry bridges cultures, languages,
and worlds. Her works have been translated into many languages, including
English, German, Kyrgyz, Serbian, Romanian, Italian, and Vietnamese. She has
been published in international journals and is a member of various
international platforms "WORLD POETS FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE." Tetiana
is also a Ukrainian record holder in patchwork work "Bosorka." In
2024, she was awarded the title "Honored Cultural Worker of Ukraine
DONNA MCCABE
Affinity
I have found a
love
As rich as a
Pharaohs tomb
I feel just like
a butterfly
Emerging from
it's cocoon
I feel bold
I feel young
There is a song
of joy in my heart
You're my charm
of protection
When danger is
near
You soothe away
all thought of fear
I cannot breathe
I cannot think
My mind is in
overload
We have risked a
lot
To get this far
Our hearts
sought each other out
A multi-coloured
destiny
Our paths of
life marked out
Together forever
You and I
My one and only
sweet ally.
Donna McCabe ©
The Colour Of Midnight
The colour of
midnight
So dark, so
intense
Your life is a
photograph
Shot through a
lens
Old photos, new
photos
Memories gone by
Some make you
laugh
Some make you
cry
But the ones
that you laugh at
Are locked in
your heart
You hold each
one so dearly
You couldn't
choose the best
And for the rest
of your life
You will embrace
the rest
Happiness,
sadness
They go hand in
hand
Life has no
boundaries,
You make your
own plans
So go forth and
be bold
Your life is
yours to mold.
Donna McCabe ©
DONNA MCCABE
DONNA MCCABE is an established poet, reviewer
and artist from South Wales, UK, with over twenty-five years’ experience. Her
work has gained her multiple accolades within her field of literature. From
being published in journals, magazines and anthologies both nationally and
internationally. she is also a respected
admin on many social media pages as well as having her own Instagram page and
poetry page.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)