National Poetry Month 2017: Celebrating Greek Poets
Welcome to our latest series, in honor of National Poetry Month, celebrating the work of Greek poets.
This week, we present Greek-American Poet and New York Native Apostolos Anagnostopoulos. He selected the following poem, “Telemachus’ Letter”, because it reminds him of his Greek roots. He said he was inspired to write the poem “to give the opportunity to Telemechus to speak to his father.”
Telemechus’s Letter by Apostolos Anagnostopoulos
Oh, wise father Odysseus;
Listen to words of your son.
ask of thee to offer council
As I pray for your safe return.
Uninvited suitors torment mother.
They eat of our food,
Drink of our wine.
No woman deserves this,
Let alone a royal queen.
In Poseidon’s oceans do you linger
Or has mighty Zeus cursed you?
Have you fallen amongst comrades?
I will search lands and oceans alike
Until I find you, oh glorious father,
Your stories shall be read in all lands.
Let the gods grant you strength.
Shall I mourn you, oh mighty king,
Or will Athena bring you to Ithaca’s shores?
If so, we shall celebrate and feast,
Make offering to the gods,
Punish those who leave mother in tears.
May they see a painful death.
Oh father, long has Ithaca waited
For their Odysseus to come home
Meet Apostolos Anagnostopoulos
Manhasset, NY native Apostolos Anagnostopoulos, a.k.a. Paul, began writing at the age of 13. As a child, he battled a learning disability, and found poetry offered him the ability to express himself in words. Now, 20 years later, he’s a published poet.
Paul has published four collections of poetry. The first, Passions of a Poet, includes some very emotional and raw works. Passions of a Poet 2: Against All Odds, is a very personal work, offering a glimpse at the struggles he’s faced in his young life. It’s illustrated by his cousin, Sophocles Plokamakis. Through These Lenses offers a more mature perspective on the human condition, as he sees it. Subway Stories was inspired by his cousin Sophocles’ drawings of subway riders. Paul wanted to give each one a story.
Passionate about poetry and wishing to offer more opportunities to poets, he founded and serves as trustee for Neopoet, an international online poetry website which has over 4,000 poetry members from 85 countries around the world.
GREEK WORLD MEDIA 