Once Upon a Time

I was born on the closing days of The second World War In a small village of north-west of Greece Up on the mountains. The country was devastated After four years of occupation by The Nazis and Fascists and Then A civil war followed that lasted for Another four years Hundreds of thousand souls were lost, Among them members of my family The country was left in ruins The hatred reigned as brother was Killing brother We were poor Scarcely had anything to eat Having lost my father I had No shoes No proper clothes No proper home Living in primitive conditions with No electricity No radio No cars No roads But Lived close to nature that nourished me With its wild fruits and roots That I was finding climbing up the mountains Or descending down onto the valley Where I was running after butterflies and birds My bear feet were kissing the ground Winter and summer Feeling the cold and the heat to the point as To become one with the soil. The animals were my friends, my companions: Goats, sheep, pigs, cows, dogs, cats But I had to be aware of the venomous snakes, The cunning foxes the dangerous wolves. The nights I was looking up to the clear sky Admiring the brightness of the stars So close to God for the first time myself I found As I was caressing with my eyes the galaxy That crossed the horizon from mountaintop to mountaintop. The nights when there was a full moon I could see As far as the eye could reach and I was happy although My rebellious stomach could not let me sleep in peace. Left the village just before my twelve birthday went To Athens, the capital and later on to Canada where I lived, worked, studied and taught. Stayed there for twenty years, Have traveled around the world: Europe, Asia, America, Oceania Then back to Greece where I live Writing and taking care of my roof garden. Now, retired at seventy-two, look at the world as it is Compare it with the world of my childhood and Have the impression that have lived for centuries Since the world at present, as far as technology is concerned, Is light of years ahead of the world of my village at that time But at the same time the world today seems to have lost Its innocence, part of its humanity and certainly its Contact with nature and worst of all for most of us with Its inner divine self! © Demetrios Trifiatis 26 March 2017 * This is my 1500th poem. I would like to thank all of you who have supported me with your comments, ideas and love for without you it would have been impossible to keep writing for five years here at the soup. Of course always are some who try to harm someone and not to help but even these few people I thank! May the Good Lord keep all of you healthy, inspired and happy! THANK YOU! Demetrios