Vasilios Theodorakis – An Online Author

The poem for this week is: Meeting.

This piece belongs to the “Growing Up” anthology and was written on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1988 – 17/03/88. The theme is fairly obvious i.e. wanting to talk to, and get to know someone (I had a crush on) but being too scared to do so. For better or worse, the poem highlights my naivety about women and relationships (even though I was already 21). Like many people of my generation, I had received no guidance or advice as to what a healthy and genuine relationship might entail. Unfortunately, I had also grown up with no useful adult role models and as a consequence, frantically read far too many autobiographies and biographies to compensate.

Readers will find that a number of my poems, from 1988 to 1998, follow a similar theme but the period thankfully ends in identifying what a lasting relationship isn’t i.e. that the warm fuzzy infatuation has nothing to do with finding a long term companion for oneself. It also took a while to understand that good relationships were reciprocal and based on gentleness, kindness and affection. My wife Helen, who epitomises all these traits, proved that it pays to persist with one’s search for a life partner.

This week’s highlighted author is: Brian Greene – in particular his novel “The Elegant Universe“.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – February 2009

The poem for this week is: The Realisation.

This piece comes from a series of poems written in 1987 for the “Growing Up” anthology. Like many of these early poems, the exact date of writing was not recorded. The posted date is therefore an approximate – I do know, that the poem was written close to Christmas 1987 and was a response to a female shop assistant I worked with at the time.

As usual, I’ve also added a link to another author I greatly admire: Isaac Asimov.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – February 2009

The poem for this week is: Unknown Sage.

This piece comes from a series of ungrouped poems written in 2001.

I’ve also added a link to another author I greatly admire: Greg Bear.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – February 2009

The poem for this week is: Respect.

This piece comes from a series of ungrouped poems written towards the end of 2008.

I’ve also added a link to another author I greatly admire: Oodgeroo Noonuccal.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – January 2009

The poem for this week is: Relative

This piece comes from a series of ungrouped poems written towards the end of 2008.

I’ve also added a link to another author I greatly admire: Charles Dickens.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – January 2009

The poem for this week is: Trauma .

This piece comes from a series of ungrouped poems written towards the end of 2008 and reflects on what people go through who manage various forms of P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

I’ve also added a link to another author I greatly admire: Albert Facey.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – January 2009

As the year comes to a close, I’ve managed to pencil a few new poems during the month of December. The first to appear online is Shadow Takes Reality. The other new poems (written during this short but prolific spurt) will also appear on the blog before I resume editing older material.

Though cutting it a bit fine, I should be finishing the year by uploading a single poem per week (as I had hoped). All things going well, I should also be able to stick to this minimum posting in 2009. Again a big thank you to all this blog’s readers who’ve hung around during an excruciating slow 2008.

In addition to Shadow Takes Reality I’ve also added some links to other authors, whose work I’ve read over the years. These include: John Chryssavgis, C.S. Lewis, Frank J. Tipler, Saint Andrew Of Bethsaida and Saint Nicholas Of Myra.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – December 2008

Unfortunately this last year hasn’t quite gone to plan. An acute relapse of an old medical condition has taken centre stage and thrown a spanner in the works of both my writing and normal work. As a result I haven’t been able to stick to resuming my poetry uploads on the 11th January 2008, as I had hoped.

The aim now is to recommence work on this blog at some point in 2008 and maintain a regular upload each week – irrespective of how small that upload might be. Grandiose expectations of editing and uploading 4 poems a week have fallen by the wayside and just uploading a single piece might prove more realistic. My appologies to people who have been visiting here since the 11th of January. My condition is such that I don’t have much control over its state, and have to work its management into my daily routine. This often means it takes precidence over everything else – especially when it gets acute.

I’ve finally added some wiki links to two other authors I greatly admire – Robert Louis Stevenson and Nikos Kazantzakis. Both these writers were brilliant social commentators in their time, challenging issues of inequity every step of the way. In spite of no longer being a practicing social worker myself, social justice is never too far from my mind, no matter what type of work I’m carrying out. Thus, my ongoing interest in the writings of such people like Stevenson and Kazantzakis.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – October 2008

Seasons Greetings to all. This will be my last site update until next year – so please feel free to revisit some of the year’s material via the poetry index. I’ll resume my editing and uploading of verse (drawn from the last 24 years) as of Friday 11th January 2008. It’s been a long year and I’ll be taking some annual leave (for a change) – I need to unplug from the Net and step away from the Computer for a few weeks. :)

Before I do however, I’d like to thank the site’s many readers for their feedback and support from (across the globe). Its been very rewarding to discover that material which was stored away in archive boxes (and forgotten) for so many years is of some use and enjoyment to people out there on the Net.

This last set of poems, rounds up the year’s uploads to 52 – a good start I think, but there’s a lot more material to get through in the next few years.

The poems for this week include:
– Learning
– Human Within Humanity
– Once Upon A…
From the “Growing Up” anthology

And:
– Curvature
From a series of ungrouped poems written in 2001.

All things going well, I look forward to resuming my verse uploads in January 2008. Until then, keep safe and have a wonderful holiday/religious period.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – December 2007

The poems for this week include:
– Life
– Let It Be
– The Oneness Of Man And Woman.
From the “Growing Up” anthology

And:
– Cleared City Land
From a series of ungrouped poems written in 1998.

Cheers – Vasilios Theodorakis – November 2007