Day: June 7, 2026

Jazz with Ella

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excerpt

Volodya hung back to the end of the line. Jennifer knew now that he would not flee; he would brazen it out. Besides, he had the passport. Soon David was there beside her, as always, to support her.
“Pull yourself together,” he urged her, glancing at her worried frown. “You haven’t been implicated in anything.”
“They’ll ship him back to the Soviet Union.”
“No, I think it’s Lona that’s going down today.”
She was just beginning to calm down when one of the Americans approached her with a shout. “Hey, Jen. Why are they beating up on your guy?”
She could feel the blood rush away dizzyingly. “What do you mean?” Her voice had faded to a whisper.
“They’ve got him by that desk as if he’s gonna be there for life.” The man laughed crudely. “He doesn’t look like a terrorist with that little pointy beard.” With a huge sense of relief, Jennifer realized he was talking about Chopyk as “her guy.” Not Volodya. David let out a long breath. He was thinking the same thing.
The time crawled by. The line snaked through the shabby building with most of the passengers being released to mill about on the apron in front of Jennifer.
As Jennifer remained at her post, Volodya finally appeared from the building walking carefully, nervously, but his eyes held that same light of triumph as they had just a few brief hours ago. He joined her, wordless. David shook his hand.
The very last people to exit the building were Chopyk and Lona who had linked arms. Her face was crumpled like that of a pouty child. Chopyk stared straight ahead and explained nothing as he passed the group. They were ushered to their plane. Volodya resumed his seat beside Jennifer. The plane took off.
Once again, someone had spoiled the party and the tension filled the stuffy cabin. A swarthy young man—Kazak or Uzbek, maybe—walked down the aisle, stared at Lona with interest and finally addressed her in thickly accented English. Jennifer could not hear the exact words but soon the man had insinuated himself into the vacant seat beside the blonde who still looked dazed. He’s either security keeping an eye on her, or she’s found yet another admirer. At least, this time, the trouble was not about her, Jennifer thought with relief.

https://draft2digital.com/book/3562892

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1926763246

Katerina Anghelaki Rooke – Selected Poems

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Unexpected Development


From which sky
does this poison drip
and moistens my life
drop by drop?
Where is that light
which flooded my life
when my glance fell on
his body, that was vaguely
discerned under the manly attire?
It was when words overflowed
images flew like wild birds
that refused to feed on words
even if they were hungry for them.
The night wasn’t frightening
silent as it was, it narrated tales
it promised a dawn.
People weren’t the tedious
opposite to loneliness
but wells that hid fresh and
consoling secrets in their depths.
I say: am I perhaps the reason
or darkness that opposes life
and comes steadily near me?

https://draft2digital.com/book/3562965

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1926763521

Yannis Ritsos – Poems, Volume V

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THE DEAD HOUSE

Yes, the servant girls knew this stairway well
after living in this house for many years, yet
they uncovered their faces and looked at it,
they turned and looked behind them
to make sure they hadn’t been seen, then they
covered their faces and hands again and they left:
small, black, dirty, stooping, like black stigmata,
like flies during a malaria, under the stony rain
of the colonnade and the big broom was left
inverted behind the kitchen door, like
a nightmare with raised hair that couldn’t scream.
Everyone has left us.
We brought foreign cleaning women to clean
the stairway, and the marble floors, to clean them well.
Soon the marbles sweated out blood again. The cleaners
left too. They deserted us; so, we forgot about
everything too: sweeping, mopping, dusting and
the marble kept on sweating out more and more blood.
A red river flowed in and out of our house; we
stayed away from people; soon people forgot
all about us too; they weren’t afraid of us anymore.
We weren’t scared of them.

https://draft2digital.com/book/3562980

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1926763726

Redemption

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excerpt

…when he took it in as though he were touching the Bible. The mayor
examined it with great curiosity while fellow villagers looked over
his shoulder to get a good look at this piece of paper, too.
“So, this is a diploma,” said the envious mayor when he handed
it back to Hermes.
“Yes, this is the diploma and here is my award.” Hermes showed
him another piece of paper with golden letters and official stamps
honouring him for his excellent standing in the class.
“You also received an award, Hermes?” The mayor’s eyes widened,
“Bravo! My congratulations once again!”
He looked at the paper more closely and asked.
“So, what are you going to do now, young Dragakis? Become an
economist? What does an economist do?”
Hermes gave them a brief explanation of what an economist
was and how he had a scholarship to study abroad for two years and
then would be teaching at the university. The mayor and the others
had a hard time understanding what all these meant.
“Scholarship to go to another country and study,” the mayor
said as if talking to himself. “Which country are you heading for?”
“Canada.”
The crowd turned to look at one another, with awe written upon
their faces. They felt quite proud of the son of George Dragakis; not
many young men from the area got the chance to go to the city and
study, never mind accomplishing what Hermes had, this far, this fast.
Demetre’s cheeks blushed thinking of this young man who had
brought their family and ancestors this honour of achievement.
Smiling, Demetre took Hermes away from the crowds.
“Time for us to go to my brother’s place.”
So, they said their goodbyes and started their walk to the house
at the other end of the village. They followed a narrow pathway and,
in a few minutes, arrived at the house. As they approached his father’s
dog, the hound started to bark. The uncle and his nephew were not
even inside the fence when his mother, as though by instinct, came
out of the house and saw them.

https://draft2digital.com/book/4172538#print

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1926763858