lockdown

every day

there’s so much we want

and not get.

things that were never

scarce or costly.

a walk in the park with a friend;

a drink in a bar, enjoying the buzz around

...

examples.

it’s already becoming harder

to come up with examples

as every day,

same as the day before,

makes us smaller.

and in that pathetic, recursive state

of lacking excitement

we scream against the four walls of our room:

“I want out”

“I want people”
“I want you”

“I want life; now that I can still recall it”

and every night we pray

that tomorrow we’ll still care enough

to keep on screaming.

______

lockdown by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License 

άχτι

όπου κ αν πάω στη ζωή, 

κ εσύ όποιο δρόμο πάρεις, 

ακόμα κ αν βρισκόμαστε 

σ άλλες γωνιές του κόσμου,

ένα παράπονο μικρό 

θα κρύβεται εντός μου:

που δε θα μάθω πως φιλάς 

εκείνον που γουστάρεις. 

______

άχτι by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

do I care enough for a title or punctuation

you know what?

things rarely end with a bang.

most things

end with indifference.

______

do I care enough for a title or punctuation by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

compassion comes in circles (just like life)

I’ve spent all these days

trying to describe what it feels like

to be us, now,

stuck in this crumbling world.

and every time I tried

I got Nothing.

no words matching my feelings,

just this endless buzz in the back of my mind:

is my family ok?

am I doing ok at work?

did I wash my hands enough?

do I have enough food in the cupboard?

in the freezer?

why is my heart racing?

I was just watching a movie, a minute ago. 

why can’t I write? 

why don’t the words flow like they used to?

will it be better tomorrow?

will it be worse?

Nothing.

no real answers.

just questions, panic, repetition,

reaching all the way down to despair, sometimes.

some other times,

we meet.

maybe not always in person,

as “distance” is the name of the game, currently,

but, at least our minds meet,

and leave a mark on each other,

a mark that says:

“I care.”

and this, for sure is

Something.

one, open, palm, 

ready to hold you

- in case you need it -

is all it takes to get back up,

and keep the panic at bay.

when you’re down, 

remember to ask for it.

when you’re up,

remember to offer.

______

compassion comes in circles (just like life) by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

street conversation no. 367

“hey, do you have a cigarette?”

“no, man, sorry, I don't.”

“are you sure?

can you check, maybe?”

“I'm sure.”

“but, you didn't check!

can you please check?”

is it a failure of the mind

or a failure of the soul

if you cannot begin to

seem to

care?

and is there any value,

in making an effort?

“man, listen, I've never smoked in my life.

it's unlikely that I have a cigarette on me.“

“but, you didn't check!

check your pockets;

maybe that one!

please!”

hard to say no to those eyes. 

eyes so wild and free,

they never learned how to focus;

shifting from me, to the street,

to the pigeons, to the sky,

back to me.

I tap my pockets,

with arms stretched out theatrically,

until we both hear the distinct ring

of some loose change. 

he grins at me,

his eyes gleaming.

defeated,

I hand over the coins,

grinning back at him.

______

street conversation no. 367 by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

εφήμερο

μια αλήθεια

- το παραδέχομαι -

ίσως να ταν υπερβολή.

αλλά ένα ψέμα;

πόσο θα θελα

να μοιραζόμασταν ένα ψέμα,

κ ας μην κράταγε

ούτε μέχρι το πρωί.

______

εφήμερο by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

a small miracle

when I see you,
with rosy cheeks,
and scratched up knees,
playing under the sun,
I know there’s hope.

I don’t even need to know
what for.

______

a small miracle by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

of spring and rebirth

I’m not empty.
I’m emptied.

I’ll fill again.
I’ll feel again.

______

of spring and rebirth by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

city tale

a’

please,
listen to me.
she didn’t come by.
she should’ve come by!

I’m telling you, every day,
ok, every working day,
for the last 4 years,
she came by this spot,
between 9:30 and 9:35 am,
probably heading for work,
I don’t know.

it was the highlight of my day,
seeing her face,
sometimes happy,
sometimes frustrated,
most times sleepy,
every single time: beautiful.

it’s been 4 days now,
that she didn’t come by,
and I’m telling you,
something’s wrong.
someone needs to investigate this.
please.
listen.
look for her,
before it’s too late.


b’

weekly news report:
a strange malfunction caused a serious traffic jam
in the corner of Kifissias and Alexandras avenues.
a traffic light would continuously flash red
without switching.

policemen were dispatched to guide the traffic,
while technicians worked on the traffic light all week,
unable to locate the malfunction.

in the end,
on Friday evening,
the traffic light stopped working altogether.
it will soon be replaced with a new one.

one of the locals approached our camera crew,
insisting that the traffic light
was trying to tell us something.
but, he also insisted
that the lizardmen are coming,
soon, to conquer the world.
so, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
(cue laugh track)

moving on to other news…


c’

three days later,
no one was prepared,
when the lizardmen actually came.

______

city tale by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

απόδραση

αν στο ζήταγα, θα ρχόσουνα,
τρεις μέρες μαζί μου
στο νησί;

τρεις μέρες, δυο νύχτες.
τόσο θα χρειαζόμασταν,
τόσο θα αντέχαμε.

η πρώτη μέρα
για να γνωριστούμε.
η δεύτερη
για να ερωτευτούμε.
κ η τρίτη, φυσικά,
για ν αποχωριστούμε.

κ οι νύχτες;
δροσερά διαλείμματα,
για ν αγναντεύουμε τ αστέρια.

προλαβαίνεις,
σκέψου το.
δε στο χω ζητήσει ακόμα.

______

απόδραση by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

beat

it was so unfair
that the first time I heard you
was meant to be the last.

it all started
with a small chest pain
- nothing to worry about.
but, better to go get myself checked.
just to be sure.

then, some tests didn’t look so good.
so the doctor decided
on the ultrasound.
just standard procedure
- nothing to worry about.

I could see it
in the doctor’s eyes,
and I could hear it
in your struggle,
that there was something
to worry about.

as I was listening to your flutter,
tears started welling up,
and I was ashamed.
I didn’t want her
to see me cry.

but, I wasn’t crying for me.
I made my choices:
my choice in diet,
my choice in workout,
my choice in smoking habits.
I made my choices
and I regret none of them
- not for a second.

no, I cried listening to you,
fighting a lost cause
to the very end.
not for a moment did you stop trying.
not for a moment did you stop hoping.
I could hear it both.
the effort and the hope
for a better day.

so, this letter is to you,
my dear heart.
I want you to know
I don’t blame you.
I know you tried your very best.

Yours
truly

______

beat by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

παραμιλητό

ηλίθιε.

ηλίθιε.

όταν είσαι στο κρεβάτι

με σαράντα πυρετό,

να τρέμεις και να πονάνε τα κόκκαλά σου,

τι κάνεις, ηλίθιε;

σκέφτεσαι:

ας είμαι καλά,

ας γίνω καλά,

να χω την υγειά μου και θα τα βρω όλα,

μικρά και μεγάλα,

θα τα βρω.

κατάλαβες, ηλίθιε;

κ όταν μετά γίνεσαι καλά,

τι κάνεις;

ξεχνάς.

βλάκα.

______

παραμιλητό by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

forcé

will a night together,
or a shared mountain view,
make romance emerge?

______

forcé by Dimitrios Kokkinos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License