by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Maria Valakou

Age: 71

Occupation: "Greek Poetess"

Bio: This delightful Mile-End pensioner has been writing poetry since she was a teenager way back when in Greece. Arriving in Canada in the mid-1950s to escape poverty in her home country, she has, at various times in her life, laboured as a laundromat attendant, janitor, cashier, professional belly dancer and housekeeper "for Jewish and English families." The Poetess of Parc Avenue, Maria is published every week in local newspaper Greek Vima, and is the distinguished author of the self-published Life for a New Generation (1998) and the comic book Laughter Please (2000), neither of which made it to a second printing, largely because "I didn’t have the money because I gave most of them away so people could be happy." A fixture in her ’hood, Maria can often be seen sweeping up her section of Parc "because Montreal is a beautiful city and we have to keep it clean, so when it is dirty, I clean."

A few poets who might have influenced her work: Nobody. "I don’t take from nobody else. I write for love."

Five books she’s presently got in the can and is hoping to someday publish: Love Is Life, Greece My Love, Oh Canada, From the Travel of Life, and Come to Take Up Light - a religious testimonial.

A really cool thing that regularly happens to Maria after writing a religious poem: She opens her eyes to discover God has miraculously delivered flowers to her apartment in appreciation of her words.

Another totally cool thing that happens to her: Every Christmas spirits enter her apartment in a blaze of light, "but they fly very fast, very fast out the window."

Something she tries to do with varying degrees of success: Steer local junkies away from "the poison" by approaching them on her street and teaching them that drugs are bad. She also regularly warns teenagers about the dangers of smoking. "Some listen, some don’t, but they usually say, ‘Thank you, ma’am, we will try.’"

One downside to her good nature: "I never have money because I give it all to the poor people. Sometimes I have to go to the welfare to pay my rent because I have given all my money away. The poor people, I sew their socks, I sew their dresses, I cook and give the food to everybody that is hungry. "

Something that kind of hurt her feelings one time: Hanging out on Parc and being shrieked at by a woman whom she had "given so much money, so much food" after trying to approach her baby in its stroller. "She was screaming, ‘Don’t you touch my baby! Don’t you touch my baby!’ But everybody know me here. I’m Maria."

Last book read: The Holy Bible.

Childhood ambition: To become an actress.

Musical preferences: "Only Greek music, it makes me very happy and sometimes makes me cry."

Words of wisdom: "If you are smart, I write for you to learn, but if you are smarter, you make your luck."

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca