For Koula

By Anna -Maria Megalogenis

Prologue
There is something more than this island's beauty.
A longing for nature that remains untouched.
A knowledge that my late sister's memory lives on in the hearts of my relatives and in the form of a beautiful road in Kalivia that bears her name.
We walked this road together with my mother and father when we were last here, 1984 was that year.
A path full of rough vegetation, crickets, grasshoppers, blue-black coloured bees, giant bumblebees and snakes, hidden under the shrub-
A beautiful view of deep-blue Poli and Cephalonia.
I know that her soul is happy here.

My ancestral roots lie in Ithaki;
An island of hilly peaks and olive trees.
Of deep-blue ocean waters and gentle, cool sea breeze.
I look outside my window and behold a most spectacular sight, for words cannot describe the magic of this visual delight.

White washed houses sitting amidst a green hilly mountain peak,
Framed by light blue sky, vivid light, the scent of sweet musky grass, and an ever- changing skyline, undergoing metamorphosis as we speak.
.......................................
An island steeped in history.
Undiscovered ancient ruins.
Of Ulysses and the Odyssey,
Of Homer's many poems.

My soul yearns for Ithaca,
Birthplace of my mother and father
Home to my mother's brother Stathi, and father's sisters Olympia and Violeta
Home to many who have fallen in love with this part of Elatha.

I know I will return to this land as Ulysses did for the beautiful Penelope,
and once more make the long journey to this part of Evropi.

(C) A.Megalogeni