Read Poem: Seeds of Peace, by Xanthi Hondrou-Hill

In the ceasefires
I plant at the four corners of the horizon
where the blood of my brothers blackens in the sun
seeds of peace.

In the ceasefires I light candles
to light the paths of the spirit
traced and lived by Gandhi.

In the ceasefires I open the door to strangers
to come and share bread, water, roses.
In the ceasefires I build with my hands
the dreams of children
of the whole world.

In the ceasefires I touch
the hearts of those around me
to erase the pain of the past,
to join together to become a circle
To become dance, joy, song.

In the ceasefires I plant
The seeds of my lyrics
To speak in the tongues of the world
to become an eternal hymn for peace

Bio Note
Xanthi Hondrou-Hill

Xanthi Hondrou-Hill is an award winning Greek poetess. She was born in Germany and studied German and English Literature, Linguistics, Journalism and Public Relations Management in Germany. She has worked as Public Relations Manager at the Greek Consulate in Stuttgart, as teacher for German, Greek and English and is translating poetry from and to all three languages. She has gained international recognition during the pandemic. Her poems have been published in many international prestigious media and anthologies around the world. She has won in 2022 the first prize at the Gandhian Global Harmony Association and is poetess of the Year 2022 in China, won the 2023 Rockport Poetry Festival Award and has received awards in Ukraine, Phillipines and Equador. She was named one of the 30 Stars in India for 2022. She is cultural Ambassador for OXYGEN PEN Sri Lanka, NAMASTE magazine in India and editor for poetry columns at Faretra.info in Greece, HUMANITY in Russia, as well as co-editor for the international poetry magazine in China for 2022. Selections of her poetry have been translated into Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portugiese, Russian, Spanish, Slavic as well as in two Languages of India: Hindi and Bengali. She is the founder and director of the International Poetry Festival of Naoussa. She received in December 2023 an honorary doctorate from the Camerata International Escritores & Artistas in Madrid.