The three-thousand-year-old pithoi¹,
the ancient ruins in the plateau of Lasithi²,
the crystalline Mediterranean & Aegean seas,
the sacred elder olive trees…
remnants of Krētē³ live within me,
these mortal bones and eternal soul
that intuitively, intrinsically know:
My mother and her mother and hers
have all instilled Minoan wonders
that will forever stir our matrilineage
and revivify each time I honor my heritage.

Οι πίθοι,
τα αρχαία ερείπια στο Λασίθι,
η κρυστάλλινη Μεσόγειος & το Αιγαίο Πέλαγος,
οι ιερές ελιές…
απομεινάρια της Κρήτης ζουν μέσα μου,
σε αυτά τα κόκαλα και την ψυχή
που γνωρίζουν διαισθητικά:
Η μάνα μου και η μάνα της και η δική της
έχουν ενσταλάξει Μινωικά θαύματα
που θα εμπνέουν για πάντα τη γενεαλογία μας
και αναβιώνουν κάθε φορά που τιμώ την κληρονομία μου.

While I may have acquired generational trauma, I’ve also had a rich culture passed down to me, and for that, I’m infinitely grateful. The aforementioned trauma has made it difficult to connect with my heritage in the traditional sense (i.e., discussing my lineage with my family), but I connect in my owns ways: through poetry, this blog, cooking authentic Cretan cuisine, reimagining ancient clothing, reading/learning about Minoan Crete, writing in my mother tongue, etc. 🇬🇷

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1. large, ancient storage jars used to store and transport liquids and grains ↩︎
2. Located in Eastern Crete, Lasithi houses ancient sites like the Minoan palace of Zakros and the cave of Trapeza. ↩︎
3. In Greek, Crete is not pronounced “creet”, it’s pronounced “krEEtee”. ↩︎