MARTHA VASKANDIRA

 

 

Decline

 

Our years are patiently waiting for our silences.

Our silences break out in an instant.

Humans and mice are looking for what belongs to them in the body of misery.

The palaces of King Midas were demolished and those who built them are looking for water in the debris.

Their rotten mouths sing dead National Anthems.

The homeless dreamer planted

a flower at their feet.

The eighth miracle was exhausted.

The gardens of Babel were mortgaged.

Only hope, a child dancing on the ruins.

 

Deeply

 

Deep down I did not live ...

They simply gave me an ID.

I'm a pack of cigarettes that changes hands.

When one survivor smokes it, when the other.

The surface covered us.

Small diamonds are lost at the bottom of the sea.

The years are gone.

Only nights were stayed.

We counted the hours but missed the sunsets.

Life negotiates moments.

We while are looking for long routes.

Beauty does not live by itself; it also wants a soul.

We spent a lot of time on spelling

and finally, we forgot what the verse said.

But this fine ignorance created civilization.

And death demands a reason to come.

Even he does not want to take

only a lifeless carcass with him.

Deep down I would like to dance full of dynamites

and blow myself up at zeimpekikou time.

To leave freer.

 

MARTHA VASKANDIRA

 

MARTHA VASKANTIRA was born in 02/09/1977 in Greece, in the city of Patras. She studied Philology and Philosophy. She is involved in theater and music. She appeared in letters in the year 1996 with the publication of poems in literary magazines. A total of ten of her books have been published.  Six poetry collections and four fairy tales. Her poems have also been dramatized in performances by theater groups in Athens and Patras. She is a member of the International Society of Greek Writers-Artists (D.E.E.L.), UNESCO of Greece, the Society of Greek Writers (E.E.L.), the Greek Cypriot Cultural Group (E.P.O.K.) as well as representative of the group in the city of Patras. In September 2022, she won first prize for writing the theatrical monologue "Peace and the Child" at the International Peace Cultural Olympiad held in Delphi. In the performance "The children of Greece" which was presented in many cities of Greece and concerns the life and work of the great creators and artists, Mimi Traiforou-Sofias Vembo, the one-act play by Martha Vaskantira entitled "The child and the peace''. The direction is by Vassilis Traiforos and Penelope Chalkia. The monologue was performed by Penelope Halkia. Some of her poems have been translated into English, Spanish, Turkish, Arabic, Hindi. Polish, Albanian, Korean, Italian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Swedish, and   in Norwegian. Her poems are included in Poetry anthologies and Cultural Magazines in several countries abroad. In 2022, the newspaper "Peloponnisos" proposed her to be a candidate for the persons of the year 2022. She was nominated by the writer and poet, Mrs. Eva Lianou Petropoulou (a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize), for the international award "Dr. Fco Xavier Ramirez Sanchez" and for the "Platinum Eagle award".  In January 2025, she was awarded 1st place in poetry, in the Greek category, in the International Literary Competition held in Kazakhstan in poetry and prose, in various languages. The president of the jury was the writer and poet, Mr. Dimitris Kraniotis. International Literary Award "Dr. Jose Manuel Equihua Estrella" for World Poetry Day 2026 from the Greek branch of the organization "CCI Utopia Poetica Universal" based in Mexico. The President of "CCI Universal Poetic Utopia" in Greece is the internationally great poet, Mr. Dimitris Kraniotis.