Two poems by Efi Chantzouli

WHITE MORNING

You move forward on the road you find in front of you.

A rough road, a wind-swept midsummer.

You swerve down a side road that you don't know.

With childlike innocence you search for crumbs of happiness,

you demand that your lost opportunities come back.

Your ivory youth has passed, but you still thirst.

With your prayer you ask for what you didn't get/you don't have.

You don't know exactly what you expect, but you hope.

You look forward in your intense dizziness

to what your new daring flight will bring you.

You are tired of the saturation of habit.

You plan a new departure again

with the impetuosity of a magical torrent.

You stay up all night alone on the balcony of life

waiting for the moments, Priestesses, that will choose

your own dream, awakening of a white morning.

PEACE

The beloved Flower Moon was hidden

by the thick dust of the wild war.

The maiden's love will not go on a boat ride by the shore,

for the vibrant peace left in a hurry tonight.

The boy's dream will not come true, what a pity,

because a soldier's bullet killed it suddenly.

My thought will not sail far away today,

because a mortar shell choked my feelings.

My energetic mother will not plow the field,

because a bullet hit her, so unfairly, right in the chest.

My father will not enjoy a cup of sweet wine,

because they lined him up, alas, against the wall of death.

The chants will not echo melodically in the church,

nor will the candles shine in the icon lamp of the Virgin Mary.

The cool shade of the familiar old plane tree in the village

will not host my friends to rest,

because the bloodstained Peace, was caught captive, the poor soul. You can find your Freedom, daughter of Zeus, Panoria,

sun-drenched to fill Man with hope today.

Hide all the children of the world in your embrace

and give them generously sweet bread and abundance of love.

Gift them a life full of dreams and simplicity.

Even without wealth they can breathe, live.

But without You, tomorrow seems like chasing a Chimera.

Efi Chantzouli. Born in Athens. She is a graduate of the Postgraduate Department of International, European and Economic Studies of the Athens University of Economics and Business. She studied Acting. She studied journalism.  She taught in secondary education tutoring centers. She worked as Head of Statistical Information at the Hellenic Statistical Authority. As a journalist, she wrote interviews with actors and singers in various magazines. She maintained a column in the newspaper “METROPOLIS” with the title “That's what Efi said”.

She is professionally involved in acting. Indicative theatrical performances that she played: "The Temptation" by Xenopoulos,"About Love"  "The Secret Path’’, "The Trial of Socrates","The Swan Song" ,"The House of Bernarda Alba" by F. G. Lorca, "Faust" by Goethe, "As You Like Me" by L. Pirandello, "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by Shakespeare, "The High Mountains" by Z. Papantoniou, "The Rape of Lucretia" by Shakespeare et al. She acted on television in the serials: “Hair” directed by A. Rigas, “Oath II” and “Archelaou 5”.

She has published two poetry collections: “Bittersweet notes” and “Journey of emotions”  and three children's fairy tales: “Lessons in the Forest”, “The Candy island” and “Thomoulis”. She has participated in poetry anthologies such as: "Philological New Year", "Summer wanderings", "The Red of Love", etc. She was honored with the Special Poetry and Children's Book Award from the Greek Writers' Union in 2018. In 2024, her second poetry collection "Journey of emotions" was awarded by the International Writers' Society. She was honored in 2025 with the award "Panorama International Literature & Art Awards" for her theatrical and literary work.