Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke

 

 

(Greece)

 

 

 

The anorexia of existence

 

I am not hungry, I am not in pain, I don’t stink

maybe deep inside I suffer and I don’t know it;

I pretend to laugh

I don’t desire the impossible

nor what is possible; The bodies

forbidden for me, do not satiate my glance.

Yearning

sometimes I look at the sky

the moment the sun switches off its glamour

and the azure lover

yields to the charm of the night.

My only contribution

to the whirlwind of the world

is my breath which remains steady.

But I also feel another

a strange contribution;

I  am suddenly seized by agony

for human pain

It stretches on the earth

like a ceremonial tablecloth

drenched in blood

covering myths and gods

 

eternally reborn

identical to life.

Yes, now I want to cry

but even the source of my tears

has dried up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke was born in Athens in 1939. She studied in Athens, southern France and graduated in Geneva with the degree of Translators and Interpreters in the languages (Greek, English, French, and Russian).

She first published in 1956 in the poetry magazine” New Age”. Her articles about poetry and translation of poetry have been published in magazines and newspapers all over the world. Her poetry has been translated in more than 10 languages and can be found in worldwide anthologies.

In 1984 she was granted the national prize for poetry and the year 2000 the prize of Athens Academy and in 2014 she was granted the first prize of Letters for her entire work.

Her translation work is centered on poetry. She has published about 20 poetry collections.