When the last shooting TV host
announces as he falls my dear viewers
this has been today's last update
thank you for joining me
and the stars' channel is laid
with biting silent snow I am startled
I wonder what has happened where has he fallen
the person who kept announcing me softly
until the dawn
of his goodnight's starry screen.
---------------------------------------------
Personal notes:
This poem was published as part of the collection 'Departures' sound' (2001).
Like many of Kiki Dimoula's poems, it relates to loss and its aftermaths. The intimacy of the poet's words, the playful use of imagery, the direct reference to herself ('I say') and to a male object suggest that this is a very personal poem, perhaps addressed to her deceased husband.
The poet paints two vivid images: one of a night sky full of stars, and one of a TV screen at the end of a day's broadcast.
In the past, Greek TV stations did not broadcast on a 24/hour basis. They employed hosts/announcers to appear on screen at the beginning and end of each day's broadcast to welcome or say goodnight to viewers (usually right after midnight). These TV hosts/announcers functioned also as live TV guides at other times - they made several announcements during the day - hence the reference in the poem about the 'last update' of the day.
At the beginning of the poem, Dimoula draws a parallel between the fall of a shooting star in the sky and the 'exit' of the TV host through his/her last announcement. She then draws another parallel between the night sky and the TV screen's analogue noise/static (now that the day's broadcast has finished). She likens this 'noise' to snow, which is painfully cold and silent (notice the oxymoron between 'noise' and 'silent'). This perhaps reflects how the poet is feeling at the day's end.
The poet continues on to draw another parallel between the TV host/announcer and the person who used to share the nights with her. She is surprised that, like the TV host, that person is not there anymore to make his own 'announcements', until dawn. The order of the words in the Greek original suggests that these softly spoken announcements affirmed the poet's presence (perhaps it was just whisperings of her name).
The poet's surprise at finding herself without her intimate other suggests that this is a recent loss.
announces as he falls my dear viewers
this has been today's last update
thank you for joining me
and the stars' channel is laid
with biting silent snow I am startled
I wonder what has happened where has he fallen
the person who kept announcing me softly
until the dawn
of his goodnight's starry screen.
---------------------------------------------
Personal notes:
This poem was published as part of the collection 'Departures' sound' (2001).
Like many of Kiki Dimoula's poems, it relates to loss and its aftermaths. The intimacy of the poet's words, the playful use of imagery, the direct reference to herself ('I say') and to a male object suggest that this is a very personal poem, perhaps addressed to her deceased husband.
The poet paints two vivid images: one of a night sky full of stars, and one of a TV screen at the end of a day's broadcast.
In the past, Greek TV stations did not broadcast on a 24/hour basis. They employed hosts/announcers to appear on screen at the beginning and end of each day's broadcast to welcome or say goodnight to viewers (usually right after midnight). These TV hosts/announcers functioned also as live TV guides at other times - they made several announcements during the day - hence the reference in the poem about the 'last update' of the day.
At the beginning of the poem, Dimoula draws a parallel between the fall of a shooting star in the sky and the 'exit' of the TV host through his/her last announcement. She then draws another parallel between the night sky and the TV screen's analogue noise/static (now that the day's broadcast has finished). She likens this 'noise' to snow, which is painfully cold and silent (notice the oxymoron between 'noise' and 'silent'). This perhaps reflects how the poet is feeling at the day's end.
The poet continues on to draw another parallel between the TV host/announcer and the person who used to share the nights with her. She is surprised that, like the TV host, that person is not there anymore to make his own 'announcements', until dawn. The order of the words in the Greek original suggests that these softly spoken announcements affirmed the poet's presence (perhaps it was just whisperings of her name).
The poet's surprise at finding herself without her intimate other suggests that this is a recent loss.
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