The stars tell us about passed time
and we tell the stars how did the time pass
our crazy moments, our joys, our plans and where did they end up how hope changed us and how love affairs that haven't ended
for those that never fitted in the past time ours but also our relative's great expectations bearing so many refusals and fatigue and pain nights of youth joining black coincidences
How strange we humans are
one competes with a boat another one drowns in a painting of the sea and when one night we are all wrapped up in a white sheet
some of us become angels and others ghosts
You raise your eyes or not
night will reveal its stars
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Τ' άστρα μάς λένε για τον χρόνο που πέρασε
κι εμείς λέμε στ' άστρα για τον χρόνο πώς πέρασε
τις τρέλες μας και τις χαρές, τα σχέδια και πού κατέληξαν
πώς μας άλλαξε η ελπίδα και πώς οι έρωτες που δεν έληξαν
για όσες δεν χώρεσαν ποτέ στον παρελθόντα χρόνο
δικές μας μα και συγγενών μεγάλες προσδοκίες
τόσες αρνήσεις φέρανε και κούραση και πόνο
νύχτες της νιότης σμίξανε με μαύρες συγκυρίες
Παράξενοι που είμαστε οι άνθρωποι
άλλος παραβγαίνει μ' ένα καράβι κι άλλος πνίγεται σε μια ζωγραφισμένη θάλασσα
και όταν μια νύχτα όλους μάς τυλίγει ένα λευκό σεντόνι
άλλοι γινόμαστε άγγελοι και άλλοι φαντάσματα
Είτε σηκώσεις το βλέμμα σου είτε όχι
η νύχτα θα φανερώσει τ' άστρα της
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WORDS: Christos Koukis
TRANSLATION: Katerina Anghelali Rooke
PHOTO: Kostas Efthimiopoulos
Christos Koukis is an Athens-based poet. He has published a total of six poetry books in Greece, France and Serbia, having participated in several poetry anthologies and magazines in Greece and abroad. He has participated in international poetry festivals around the world (India, England, Serbia, Slovenia, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Romania and beyond). Christos has worked on art magazines and also writes lyrics for songs. In 2017, he was a fellow poet at Documenta 14 in Athens.
Kostas Efthimiopoulos is an Athens-based photography enthusiast. His journey into the world of visual arts started about four years ago when he purchased his first camera and was fascinated with how he can tell a story through a single frame. He mainly shoots landscapes with human presence, trying to capture the mood of the moment and give the viewer a different perception of reality.