Poem by Irene Doura-Kavadia (Prepared Angela Kosta)
Moderator 
POEM BY IRENE DOURA-KAVADIA - GREECE
Irene Doura-Kavadia is a holder of two Master’s Degrees (MA in Comparative & MSc. in Computational Linguistics). She has worked as a tutor of foreign languages (English, German, French and Spanish) and as a translator and research associate. She is the owner & CEO at “ACADEMY CENTRES”. As a writer (author, poet, essayist) she has participated in various literary competitions and has received corresponding awards, accolades and honors, both in Greece and abroad. She is a member of the National Union of Writers, the Union for the Greek Cultural Heritage, the World Peace Academy, the International "World Poets Society", the Australian Literary Union “Diasporic”, the UNESCO Letters, Arts & Sciences Node GR, the World Philosophical Forum, and the American “International Writers Association”. Her work has been acknowledged by many National and International Organizations, by “Women Leaders – 2019 and 2020”, and by “Who Is Who– Purple Edition, 2020”. In 2020 she was appointed the Director of the Writers Capital International Foundation Greece.
Irene born in Athens, Greece, she has been engaged since childhood in studying, writing, and learning foreign languages. She graduated from the Faculty of German Language and Literature (National & Kapodistrian University of Athens). With her dissertation she was awarded a Specialisation in Contrastive Linguistics. Further, she was awarded the Master’s Degree (MSc.) in Computational Linguistics (Faculty of Linguistics at the National & Kapodistrian University, Faculty of Computer Engineering & Robotics - National Technical University). She worked as a volunteer at the research team of the National Institute for Research & Technology “Demokritos” (Dpt. of Microelectronics) and participated in the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (Paper 2004, Irene Doura et al.)
She has been involved in projects in various exhibitions, art festivals and other cultural events, and her works have been recited in many competitions, poetic & musical events, festivals and art features, both in Greece and abroad. She has coordinated both Literary competitions as well as International Fine Arts Exhibitions. Poems and texts of hers have been issued in literary magazines, anthologies, collections of short stories, online literary encyclopedias and websites that promote literature and culture (Cyprus, Italy, Spain, India, Australia, Canada, the USA, Latin America, South Korea, Brasil, Japan, Vietnam, Russia, and countries of the Balkans). Her educational and literary books - both in Greek and in English – are taught in several private institutions as well as state schools in Greece, Cyprus and other European countries in different educational levels.
She currently gives a series of lectures as a linguist - teacher of foreign languages – translator, as well as a litterateur in international congresses, conferences and other cultural events representing her country. She is also editor-in-chief at the international publishing house Writers International Edition, an Executive member of the International Who Is Who Awards, a Member of the Organisational Committee of the World Philosophical Forum and a Member of the Board of two Unions, the one being the regional cultural union "Sofia Befon" in Athens and the second "the Friends of the Red Cross", as well as being a Cultural Ambassadress of Greece abroad.
A WOMAN’S GRACE
In the transparent veils of time's embrace,
O, sweet melody within life's dark smother,
There emerges a woman, the epitome of grace,
With roles varied as a friend, a lover, a spouse or a mother.
Her gentleness, her touch, pure soothing balm,
her feathered arms, with solace everyone surround,
Her bosoms console the beloved one in her divine realm,
And a sacred haven provide, where love is to abound.
Through her boundless affection in each warm embrace,
Immeasurable benefits are brought to make the day
As she adorably gazes unto her lover’s face
Both are thus saved from heartbreak and dismay.
Her dreams, once so bright, can be harshly stepped upon,
Shattered by shadows that put them cruelly into confine
yet she finds the courage to step up and to hold on
and finally to rise again fighting against all malign.
Her journey marked with trials for equality, blood and fervent fire,
yet in her feminine existence, in every different face,
her unshackled spirit remaining unbridled, soaring ever higher,
that is where resides the real beauty of a woman's grace.
BECOME THE GUIDING LIGHT
(Become the Angel of the fellow human)
My brothers, we often hear from friends and acquaintances as well as strangers, who for some reason come to us by chance or not, that at some point they feel so much frustration inside of them, so much despair, believing that the end has come. They claim that the world around them is over and that despair has flooded entirely their souls drowning them, not letting them breathe.
They believe that the whole world has abandoned them and that they have no hope upon this earth. That they are treated as marginalized, rejected, useless. In fact, due to the gloom that covers up their soul, they can reach the extreme point of thinking about ending their life in order for their sufferings to end along with it, because their sensitive soul cannot withstand any more pressure.
Indeed, having reached their lowest point, everyone may have turned their backs on them, even relatives, friends and acquaintances. It is customary, after all. Worse still, instead of reaching out for their help, they might have given them a push to go even deeper into the pit opened by their hardships. "At a fallen oak tree, every man chops” as goes the well-known ancient Greek quote...
Amidst of utter despair and misery, however, there is something they must never forget. That at least one did not abandon them - and this is the Lord. Their Creator. He did not abandon them to their gloomy fate as they believe, but he also put his love for them into practice. By sending to them an enlightened person, who either inadvertently or voluntarily came to walk down their own path, aiming to lead them from darkness to the light. For everyone God has an angel on earth to rush to the aid of fellow human beings. This angel may not even be a relative or a friend, possibly not even a neighbour. On the contrary, it may be a passer-by, a complete stranger, even a foreigner, whose road "accidentally" intersected with theirs. It is what they say that “serendipity is simply the touch of God”.
Therefore, brothers, do not lose faith in the universe and its power. You are never alone. You will never experience abandonment if you believe that God is with you. A pure heart, a pure soul that deserves to be saved is not abandoned and is not leveled. Faith saves as well as it moves mountains. So if you are one of those who are suffering for any reason, be patient, pray, and soon there will be help from heavens for you.
And for all the rest of us, my dear ones, who are luckier and at this particular moment we are not suffering from the multiple blows of life or fate, like some of our unfortunate fellow human beings, let us become the light ourselves. Let us be the angels on earth for our afflicted brothers and sisters who need our help so much, especially in the miserable times we live in. Let us not forget that "everything flows and nothing remains", so let us consider that we could at any time find ourselves in their own predicament. In such a case, we would be grateful even for a consoling word from a fellow human being who thought of us in our despair and gave us even a piece of advice, a prompt to go on, a tinge of hope, or some help.
Let us not forget that, in the end, all that will be left of us is the memory of how we chose to lead our lives and whether it benefited society - before even this memory is naturally forgotten, of course. People who are guided by the noble feelings of humanity and charity already know that the joy of giving is infinitely greater than the joy of receiving a gift. Let alone, of offering a divine gift such as hope, love and life itself!
Irene Doura-Kavadia is a holder of two Master’s Degrees (MA in Comparative & MSc. in Computational Linguistics). She has worked as a tutor of foreign languages (English, German, French and Spanish) and as a translator and research associate. She is the owner & CEO at “ACADEMY CENTRES”. As a writer (author, poet, essayist) she has participated in various literary competitions and has received corresponding awards, accolades and honors, both in Greece and abroad. She is a member of the National Union of Writers, the Union for the Greek Cultural Heritage, the World Peace Academy, the International "World Poets Society", the Australian Literary Union “Diasporic”, the UNESCO Letters, Arts & Sciences Node GR, the World Philosophical Forum, and the American “International Writers Association”. Her work has been acknowledged by many National and International Organizations, by “Women Leaders – 2019 and 2020”, and by “Who Is Who– Purple Edition, 2020”. In 2020 she was appointed the Director of the Writers Capital International Foundation Greece.
Irene born in Athens, Greece, she has been engaged since childhood in studying, writing, and learning foreign languages. She graduated from the Faculty of German Language and Literature (National & Kapodistrian University of Athens). With her dissertation she was awarded a Specialisation in Contrastive Linguistics. Further, she was awarded the Master’s Degree (MSc.) in Computational Linguistics (Faculty of Linguistics at the National & Kapodistrian University, Faculty of Computer Engineering & Robotics - National Technical University). She worked as a volunteer at the research team of the National Institute for Research & Technology “Demokritos” (Dpt. of Microelectronics) and participated in the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (Paper 2004, Irene Doura et al.)
She has been involved in projects in various exhibitions, art festivals and other cultural events, and her works have been recited in many competitions, poetic & musical events, festivals and art features, both in Greece and abroad. She has coordinated both Literary competitions as well as International Fine Arts Exhibitions. Poems and texts of hers have been issued in literary magazines, anthologies, collections of short stories, online literary encyclopedias and websites that promote literature and culture (Cyprus, Italy, Spain, India, Australia, Canada, the USA, Latin America, South Korea, Brasil, Japan, Vietnam, Russia, and countries of the Balkans). Her educational and literary books - both in Greek and in English – are taught in several private institutions as well as state schools in Greece, Cyprus and other European countries in different educational levels.
She currently gives a series of lectures as a linguist - teacher of foreign languages – translator, as well as a litterateur in international congresses, conferences and other cultural events representing her country. She is also editor-in-chief at the international publishing house Writers International Edition, an Executive member of the International Who Is Who Awards, a Member of the Organisational Committee of the World Philosophical Forum and a Member of the Board of two Unions, the one being the regional cultural union "Sofia Befon" in Athens and the second "the Friends of the Red Cross", as well as being a Cultural Ambassadress of Greece abroad.
A WOMAN’S GRACE
In the transparent veils of time's embrace,
O, sweet melody within life's dark smother,
There emerges a woman, the epitome of grace,
With roles varied as a friend, a lover, a spouse or a mother.
Her gentleness, her touch, pure soothing balm,
her feathered arms, with solace everyone surround,
Her bosoms console the beloved one in her divine realm,
And a sacred haven provide, where love is to abound.
Through her boundless affection in each warm embrace,
Immeasurable benefits are brought to make the day
As she adorably gazes unto her lover’s face
Both are thus saved from heartbreak and dismay.
Her dreams, once so bright, can be harshly stepped upon,
Shattered by shadows that put them cruelly into confine
yet she finds the courage to step up and to hold on
and finally to rise again fighting against all malign.
Her journey marked with trials for equality, blood and fervent fire,
yet in her feminine existence, in every different face,
her unshackled spirit remaining unbridled, soaring ever higher,
that is where resides the real beauty of a woman's grace.
BECOME THE GUIDING LIGHT
(Become the Angel of the fellow human)
My brothers, we often hear from friends and acquaintances as well as strangers, who for some reason come to us by chance or not, that at some point they feel so much frustration inside of them, so much despair, believing that the end has come. They claim that the world around them is over and that despair has flooded entirely their souls drowning them, not letting them breathe.
They believe that the whole world has abandoned them and that they have no hope upon this earth. That they are treated as marginalized, rejected, useless. In fact, due to the gloom that covers up their soul, they can reach the extreme point of thinking about ending their life in order for their sufferings to end along with it, because their sensitive soul cannot withstand any more pressure.
Indeed, having reached their lowest point, everyone may have turned their backs on them, even relatives, friends and acquaintances. It is customary, after all. Worse still, instead of reaching out for their help, they might have given them a push to go even deeper into the pit opened by their hardships. "At a fallen oak tree, every man chops” as goes the well-known ancient Greek quote...
Amidst of utter despair and misery, however, there is something they must never forget. That at least one did not abandon them - and this is the Lord. Their Creator. He did not abandon them to their gloomy fate as they believe, but he also put his love for them into practice. By sending to them an enlightened person, who either inadvertently or voluntarily came to walk down their own path, aiming to lead them from darkness to the light. For everyone God has an angel on earth to rush to the aid of fellow human beings. This angel may not even be a relative or a friend, possibly not even a neighbour. On the contrary, it may be a passer-by, a complete stranger, even a foreigner, whose road "accidentally" intersected with theirs. It is what they say that “serendipity is simply the touch of God”.
Therefore, brothers, do not lose faith in the universe and its power. You are never alone. You will never experience abandonment if you believe that God is with you. A pure heart, a pure soul that deserves to be saved is not abandoned and is not leveled. Faith saves as well as it moves mountains. So if you are one of those who are suffering for any reason, be patient, pray, and soon there will be help from heavens for you.
And for all the rest of us, my dear ones, who are luckier and at this particular moment we are not suffering from the multiple blows of life or fate, like some of our unfortunate fellow human beings, let us become the light ourselves. Let us be the angels on earth for our afflicted brothers and sisters who need our help so much, especially in the miserable times we live in. Let us not forget that "everything flows and nothing remains", so let us consider that we could at any time find ourselves in their own predicament. In such a case, we would be grateful even for a consoling word from a fellow human being who thought of us in our despair and gave us even a piece of advice, a prompt to go on, a tinge of hope, or some help.
Let us not forget that, in the end, all that will be left of us is the memory of how we chose to lead our lives and whether it benefited society - before even this memory is naturally forgotten, of course. People who are guided by the noble feelings of humanity and charity already know that the joy of giving is infinitely greater than the joy of receiving a gift. Let alone, of offering a divine gift such as hope, love and life itself!
