“What’s the shape of your love?”

“God created man in all shapes and forms so I love as if I were blind, I never see their outside, the beauty of their soul is what illuminates to me.”
–Kiki Livos-Manatakis

“In my classroom I usually try to show something which closely resembles the ‘light’….try to demystify the concepts & barriers that keep people & societies apart, such as racism, ignorance, bigotry, and discrimination.”
–Anonymous [Educator]

“My love is a heart-shaped pink balloon that continues to grow the more it is exposed to love that I receive and never pops because I always find ways to spread my love and give it to those who need it.”
–Anthoula Katsimatides

“My love comes from the depths of my soul… pure, free and boundless.”
–Anna Almiroudis

Lullaby (an ode to love and family)

I tremble at this ancient
exchange of time for fare
passing through my paper-cut hands
rewarded with an aching back but no chair
And if we walk together
barefoot through the street
sores and broken skin bleed
leave trails of our defeat
and when the world grows colder
and hope is slight and frail
the songs we sing keep us warm
where the prayers seemed to fail
i dream a place for your head
to rest with peace assured
and when you wake beneath the sunlight
your worries washed up on distant shores
but the walls that stand around us
can come crashing without alarm
and the floor that fights gravity
can leave us vulnerable to harm
but when such thoughts prevail
and sleepless nights haunt me
your breathing wards off these ghosts
my heart ceases it’s rhythmic taunting
I keep a little fear
in the locket of my heart
incentive to steer clear
from ever falling apart

–Peter Giannakas

The Shape of My Love

What is it you ask?
It’s not quite clear
You see it’s not a simple heart or a blue tear drop
It’s magical because it transforms;
each day, each moment, each year.
It’s like a mold of clay waiting to be touched, waiting to be felt

Life casts the shape of my love.
On some days it’s large, on others quite miniature.
But as it develops it makes me strong;
It makes me feel like as long I have it, I could do no wrong.

–Despina Manoloudas

Please share with us your personal “loveprint” @ loveprint@carnivaloflove.org, for a chance to have your story posted on this page.