Roula Pollard

Roula Pollard Poems

Roula Pollard Biography

Roula Pollard, a Greek poet and writer, was born on the island of Santorini. She studied History and Archaeology at Athens University and obtained an M.A. in Classics at Leeds University. From 1975 to 1998 she lived in England and worked as a teacher of Modern Greek Language & Greek Culture at Wakefield District College (Wakefield University) and Joseph Priestley Institute of Higher Education in Leeds and also as literary promoter. She participated in prestigious English and Greek Poetry festivals. ACHIEVEMENTS & PUBLICATIONS: • Three collections of poetry published in Greek: “Presence”, “Points of Silence”, “The Birth of Beautiful Time”. Her 4th poetry collection “Continents of Love” will be published in winter 2016. • Published literary articles in Greek and English magazines on contemporary Greek, English and American poets and artists (Sylvia Plath, Henry Moore, Nekeforos Vrettakos, Machi Mouzaki, Dimitris Layios e.a.) • Translated an anthology of the works of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes into Greek, and presented a series of broadcasts about Sylvia Plath’s Poetry on Athens National Radio ERT,1987. • As Literary promoter, she organized poetry readings in English universities, colleges, poetry festivals, writers and international associations for well known English poets in West Yorkshire,1987 – 1997 (Carol-Anne Duffy, Hugo Williams, Sylvia Kantaris, Michael Horovits, Simon Armitage, Ian MacMillan, e.a) . She has promoted more than 100 poets, writers, musicians and painters. • Organized painting workshops for children with special needs - Wakefield City Library,1991. • Co-operated with painters (Kathy Lancaster, Angela Bower, John Harrison, David Wright, e.a.) for the production of sets for Greek music festivals in Leeds, Wakefield, Manchester,1991. • Broadcasted about Greek music and Civilization - BBC Radio Leeds and Greek Radio, Manchester. • Included into “INTERNATIONAL WHO IS WHO IN POETRY AND POETS” Encyclopedia, Cambridge Publications, England (1990-1996) . • Her poems are published in more than 15 Greek and International Poetry Anthologies,1982 – 2016. • Organized numerous Poetry readings and presented books in Athens. • She raises awareness internationally on the return of the Parthenon sculptures and also for the return to Greece of “the Classic Olympic Games“. • Future Project: in co-operation with the Professor of Astrophysics Xenophon Moussas, Athens University, on “ The Mechanism of Antikythera “. • She will participate in International Poetry Festivals and will co-operate as a member of the Board of Directors with the organization of “FEELINGS INTERNATIONAL”)

The Best Poem Of Roula Pollard

Pilgrimage In Togetherness

I.
Along oceans I sailed,
along continents for centuries I walked
In search of a voice, in discovery of a soul.

To fight against the darkness of time,
To dilute hate piled up during eons,
To prevent fear from penetrating our cells,
To close the gap of the man-made abyss,
To remove death's wings flying over us,
Masked as nuclear weapons.
Unknown to me then, became beneficent,
Your silence eloquent, eliminating distance of continents
Till your sigh's echo broke the storm of indifference.
I overcame, with inner strength, illness, pain, loneliness
Humanity's strength I learned from You.
Along oceans I sailed,
along continents I walked barefoot,
In search of a voice and soul.
In the springs of courage,
In search of earth and food,
I met myself in You.

II.
Within your justice give me shelter,
See the starvation of my countrymen,
Remind the world of what it knows.
Who protects unprotected orphans,
Helps swollen bodies to soothe their angry wounds?
Yet, a glowing vision grows stronger by the hour.
God walks on our land, stretches above the plains of our hearts
Like a giant protective screen, extending hope to the horizon,

Narrowing the distance between divided hearts,
Killing the disguised demon of poverty,
Exterminating all opposition against His guardian heart.

Unknown to me in the past, one blood with me now

On our journey
Our tongues taste vinegar and honey.
We toil as saliva and tongue for humanity
Until humanity walks the land of Reason and Compassion.

© ROULA POLLARD
All rights reserved


Artwork: 'Desert Breath', © Danae Stratou

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