Exclusive: Women Poetry: Edited by Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy
You come from the mist of history,
from the darkness of the Greek
archaic world populated by Giants,
Cyclops and all kinds of monsters.
You come from the riddles of the past,
as a symbol of poisoning and evil.
Your sin is nuclear, but you had to die.
From the blood of your beheaded
neck, beautiful red corals emerged
to protect and adorn the maidens’ neck,
recalling the beautiful hair
that once had crowned your head.
Your memory lives now among green
moss, waterand sea corals.
I did see your face turned upside down,
running water washing your stare,
purified by time
at the Basilica Cistern of Istanbul.
***
MEDUSA II
I read your words of stone, listening
to the sighs of those who fell helplessly,
petrified by your eyes.
Once you were a beautiful maiden,
someone says,
but the wheels of misfortune
turned you into a snake-hairy monster.
You were abused by Poseidon,
and punished instead of him,
damned to live like a winged
and scaly nightmare
until Perseus freed the world
from the inflicting venom
that the destiny harshly instilled
into you.
But you survived in the duality
and ambivalence of heavenly deities,
turned into a guardian at the gates
of shelters of pain.
***
Dr. Maria do Sameiro Barroso from Portugal, medical doctor, and multilingual poet, translator, essayist and researcher in Portuguese and German Literature, Translations Studies and History of Medicine, has authored over 40 books of poetry, published in Portugal, Brazil and other countries, along with translations and books of essays. Her poems are translated into over twenty languages. She is a recipient of national and international prizes such as International Prize Pray of Mother Teresa,“Gjon Nikkoll├л Kazazi, Gjakov├л, Kosovo” (2019); Prix International de po├йsie de l'Acad├йmie Europ├йene des Sciences, des Arts et des Lettres (AESAL) 2020; 1st Prize "Versos del Pilcomayo” Bolivia (2020).
Very nicely penned verses, dear poet friend
ReplyDeletevery nice poems, dear friend
ReplyDelete