Because when i opened my eyes, dead bodies exist everywhere
No schools
No home
No toys
I keep my eyes closed
I live peacefully
Eva Petropoulou Lianou
Ashok Kumar
Critical Appreciation: “Peace, Prayers for a Peaceful World” by Eva Petropoulou Lianou
In the realm of contemporary poetry, Eva Petropoulou Lianou’s “Peace, Prayers for a Peaceful World” stands as a powerful and poignant masterpiece that pierces the heart and soul of humanity. This poem is a profound exploration of the human experience, delving into the complexities of war, violence, and the longing for peace.
The poem’s central theme of the speaker’s dream of a peaceful world is a powerful metaphor for the universal human aspiration for harmony and tranquility. Lianou’s lines, “I dreamt about it / I closed my eyes years ago / I saw children playing with dolls,” create a vivid image of a world where innocence and joy reign supreme. However, the speaker’s reluctance to open their eyes, “Because when I opened my eyes, / dead bodies exist everywhere,” is a heart-wrenching reminder of the harsh realities of war and violence.
One of the most impressive aspects of this poem is its use of imagery and symbolism. The image of children playing with dolls is a particularly striking one, highlighting the ways in which war and violence destroy the innocence and joy of childhood. The contrast between the peaceful world of the speaker’s dream and the harsh reality of war is also noteworthy, underscoring the ways in which violence can shatter our hopes and dreams.
The poem’s themes of peace, war, and the human condition are equally compelling. Lianou’s lines, “No schools / No home / No toys,” speak to the ways in which war and violence can destroy the very fabric of our lives, leaving us without the basic necessities of human existence. The speaker’s decision to keep their eyes closed, “I keep my eyes closed / I leave peacefully,” is a poignant reminder of the ways in which we often try to escape the harsh realities of the world around us.
Throughout the poem, Lianou’s voice is characterized by its lyricism, depth, and emotional resonance. The poem’s message is both timely and timeless, speaking to the universal human aspirations for peace, harmony, and tranquility that transcend borders, cultures, and generations.
In conclusion, “Peace, Prayers for a Peaceful World” is a masterpiece of contemporary poetry that deserves to be widely read and studied. Eva Petropoulou Lianou’s poem is a powerful exploration of the human experience, peace, war, and the longing for a better world, and its themes of hope, resilience, and the human condition will resonate with readers long after they finish reading.
India BHARAT
January 24, 2025
Dr Ashok Kumar from Baraut BAGHPAT UP INDIA BHARAT
Even when refurbished to incorporate beautiful en-
suites or worn with denim for a smart casual style
property derived from things from nature is a step back in time.
The Bull Moose Convention
at Chicago is the successful result of the praxis of a fused group, unlike the states of antiquity & the great tangle of Marxist thought. It is a complex & powerful reiteration construct, its symbols fashioned from a bicycle seat & a set of corroded handle-bars with minimalist turn signals, its own words of power based upon the repetition of a handful of major triads, its rituals aligned with the cycles of withdrawal & return in morphine-dependent mice.
Seeking meaningful employment
The meatless meal was really professional & serious, a combination of heuristic procedures, anything but boring. The
dislike was the algorithm
it produced, a nested
while-loop which included three inner loops, crispy on the outside, soggy within.
Tax credit for home buyers
We’re always getting lack- luster troubadours. What I want is an offensive magician who can, by exploiting luminescence spectroscopy, turn late afternoon tea & scone parties into a world tour by Gogol Bordello.
By the sound the birds flew away quickly to the safe
The sky became so gloomy
The shiny morning turned into smoky brown
The lightning in the darkness of night shattered down
The children, the women, the young and the old
The devastated area
Oh! Pathetic deaths for whom are you call us?
No reply without a long sigh
Wildfire is running in place of humanity
Sorrows, sufferings, torture and deaths happening in everyday life
It’s as if like the hereditary wealth
From the other side of the spot we see, hear and get scared
As the condition for the deer in the rush in front of a hungry tiger
Nothing to do without feeling hatred for the killers
On the other side sympathized with the people in Gaza
The storm is blowing, the world moving in the cyclone
‘To be or not to be – that is the question’
We, all stand in the puzzling and haggling queue
But justice never goes injustice
Time will take us to face the judge
And the victims must enter into their mirthful goal
Though out of sight,
Every day in the sprouting green fields
Where fresh oxygen makes our veins flow clean
And in the twinkling sky
They are laughing and singing the songs of joy!
How sweet they dream in sleep!
How would they lead their lives tomorrow?
Can we imagine?
Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh
27 January, 2025.
Md. Mahbubul Alam is from Bangladesh. His writer name is Mahbub John in Bangladesh. He is a Senior Teacher (English) of Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh. Chapainawabganj is a district town of Bangladesh. He is an MA in English Literature from Rajshahi College under National University. He has published three books of poems in Bangla. He writes mainly poems but other branches of literature such as prose, article, essay etc. also have been published in national and local newspapers, magazines, little magazines. He has achieved three times the Best Teacher Certificate and Crest in National Education Week in the District Wise Competition in Chapainawabganj District. He has gained many literary awards from home and abroad. His English writings have been published in Synchronized Chaos for seven years.
A few years ago there was an election, and as usual I received a Voter’s Information Handbook from the San Francisco Dept. of Elections. Among the propositions there was the expected request for additional funding to solve the homeless crisis in our fair city.
One of the rebuttals to why this legislation was so important pointed out that there are over sixty agencies in San Francisco whose sole purpose is to ‘help the homeless.’ Well, I said to myself this equates to sixty sets of office infrastructure (computers, scotch tape, staplers etc.,) sixty sets of mortgages and/or rent, sixty sets of staff and sixty sets of Strategic Plans. No wonder so little of the voted-for money is actually helping ‘the homeless.’
Once upon a time, some of the homeless lived rent-free in Golden Gate Park. An intrepid group of them excavated a hill and made it livable. Then the sweeps came and now there are only a few, forlornly holding their blankets and sleeping bags through the rain, the fog and the cold. In my Chi-Chi neighborhood they sometimes stumble through, looking like they’ve been in a war.
It’s possible for the sane ones to go to the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch and ask at the Information Desk for a Hossa Monday through Friday from 1-3 pm. Hossas are formerly homeless individuals who have resource lists and information for shelter, showers, meals and clothing among other things. The out-to-lunch people usually don’t care to hear about this as an option, rightfully fearing they will be put in-patient into a psychiatric ward. It’s also tricky when the homeless have a dog or dogs because after someone was bitten at a library, dogs are not customarily allowed to visit the library branches, card or no card.
I found that the predominant feature almost all homeless people share is hunger, so I carry light, portable snacks. Hunger bites. Back to Golden Gate Park. In my younger years I worked for a Podiatrist, who crowed to me that, “I love joggers.” This was due to the fact that his foot patients who ran routinely on cement usually needed foot surgery at some point from all the wear and tear on their joints. His solution that he shared with me (because I wouldn’t be caught dead jogging) was that if joggers exercised on grassy land, it would cushion the shock of running rather than destroying their bones.
Two more pieces of wisdom he was shared with me: 1) Try to buy two identical pairs of shoes – by alternating back and forth the shoes will last four times as long as if you were wearing one pair of shoes. 2) Leather gives. When wearing patent leather, what gives is your feet. He was an interesting character who also used to treat elderly Chinese women who had bound feet.
No one can make our homeless problem go totally away, but it’s good to use common sense and compassion to deal with the situation. —
Since 1982 [in California] we have built 22 prisons and three universities. It costs $52,000 a year to house a prisoner, more than the tuition at Stanford.