Archangel

Archangel

I sensed the dance of clouds and windy drawls,
the moving marionettes of moonlight,
ideally it cleared the shades of souls
to intersect our solitude, forthright.

The dusk descended when 'Archangel' crossed
the sight of island men, a gliding wraith
and huge the blackened ship's displacement boss'd
the mariners' astounded stares and faith.

Monotonous the bagpipes led to trance, 
autonomous the ship's insistent horn
invited us to some besotting dance
the ship regaled; unearthly song and mourn.

We danced inside the rain while ghostly pipes
entwined with the sea's baptismal notes,
- betrothal waved the blue and white flag stripes,
- like coffins moved around the wooden boats.

Embarked, we, upon the ship, erelong,
to sail infinity in ocean brines,
although the Sirens with their cradle-song,
the Hades' treated us, communion wines.

© 05-14-2013, G. Venetopoulos, All Rights Reserved
(Iambic pentameter)

College verse

College verse

Forthcoming boats, the streamers ply

along the edges of the pier

and by the skylines' blue frontier,

where waters follow mists and tide.

The day is absent - (maybe not)

pristine, on thought, adorned the drifts,

away from corals and sea reefs,

- where pridefulness became a knot.

The vineyards, now, surround the rails,

arcane the train, in distance fades,

the northern gusts and dusky shades,

became his friends, along the trails.

Upon the railways, trips are long,

remote banquets his paths ascribe,

where passengers of time transcribe

how honoring expends the wrong.

Denoted moments, College verse,

their distant lives, to then direct,

her laughter, threshold to project

the springtime fields of blooming thyrse.

Attracts him back where times portray

her solving of the maths on board,

unique of thoughts, his smiles award

what her acoustic chords convey.

© G. Venetopoulos,07-20-2013 All rights reserved

(Iambic tetrameter)

College verse 

Thistles

Thistles

The mist diffuses in the air,
white molecules disperse around,
perchance two singing solitaire
unseen are in the dark surround.

Along the path new buds have grown,
the foggy landscape to adorn,
and propagate with names unknown
mid thistles' purple bloom and thorn.

The olive trees array in lines
and nightly birds with squalls becrow
reminders of the gulls in brines
the seaward routes, so, forego.

Unspoken stand the trees in dark,
their silence is my honored guest,
two stars above me smile and spark,
complaisant to a void request.

© 05-18-2015, G. Venetopoulos, All Rights Reserved
(Iambic tetrameter)

Thistles 

Down by the river's banks

Down by the river's banks

The foliage dithers by the side
of Acheronian river,
as Roxanne journeys in her sleep,
along the lithesome streamers
with ruptured flags to wave above
the shakiness of blossoms
and down its coursing path with souls
of lovers gone and dreamers.

Symbolic is the Eagle's flight
above the battle winners
of Alexander's phalanxes,
most glorious 'mid mortals
and it becomes the flaming pyre
that purifies on altars
the braves who passed across the Styx,
the Hades' iron portals.

"Protect him deities of night,
Morpheus send my message,
cause he should not stare at the sun
on Babylon's west entrance
I hark to wind, that passes mid
the ferryman's black cordage
and marries those who search across
their everlasting romance."

The maiden's song had tranced him by
the silver stream's embankment
and to the skylines followed him,
along the nightly orchard
that spreads beyond the stills of time
the night's ebonic garment
and with her lonesomeness amass,
secluded tho' engaged.

Intangible, she lifted high,
above the efflorescence,
therefore she wore, beyond her life,
betrothal ringing golden;
with him she slept in cotton mists,
aboard the ship of voidance
monotonous her windy songs,
their trip of e'er to broaden.

© 23-04-2015, G. Venetopoulos, All Rights Reserved
(Iambic decapentasyllabic verse)

Notre Dame Marion

Notre Dame Marion

She thought of all details the Mistral sweeps

the tears she shed that night atop the deck;

how beautiful it was to bear her dreams

but why the heavens have induced the wreck?

For ten odd months the messages received,

the scent of ports brought in, so to inform

but near Alaska, Bering Strait, bereaved

the ship had spent her masts, in waves and storm.

The Mistral spoke that night, 'the ship was split',

and then he was with her, in waxen light;

he smiled - she guessed he knew naught of it;

how was his smile angelical and bright!

He kiss'd her face (or so she thought), and hair

and then he sail'd away, in her belief,

atop the tides on his departing fare,

on moors she laughed to conjure the grief.

On Aleutians snows today and slow,

'Notre Dame Marion' advances on the tide;

atop the deck are standing in faint glow,

two ghosts that conn the ship on ether's glide.

© G. Venetopoulos 2012-01-09, All Rights Reserved

(Iambic pentameter)

Notre Dame Marion

Nτηζελοκινητήρας

Ντηζελοκινητήρας

Βρυχήθηκε ο άγριος ντηζελοκινητήρας
μα ο Γιώργος πιλοτάριζε 'πιδέξια στο τιμόνι,
φουσκώνανε τα όμβρια ως τον αναβατήρα,
στη λαμαρίνα η βροχή έπαιζε Αλμπινόνι.

Ο οδοστρωτήρας ζύγιζε σαράντα-δύο τόννους
αέρας φύσαγε δριμύς, (μαϊστροτραμουντάνα)
μακρυά από την Εθνική τον πήρε ο χωροχρόνος
καί πέταξε απ' το Τολό μέχρι τη Δημητσάνα.

Η φήμη του απλώθηκε σε ούλο το δοβλέτι
στο Μαίναλο ήταν αϊτός, στον Πάρνωνα γεράκι
καθότι ούλοι στα βουνά τον σέβονταν, προσέτι
σε παραλίες, πεδινά και κάθε χωριουδάκι.

Ο οδοστρωτήρας έγινε το σύμβολο της νίκης
τον οδηγούσε στα χωριά μα και στις κωμοπόλεις,
σε συναυλίες με ροκιές κι ωδές ουρανομήκεις,
με πειραγμένα καύσιμα, βενζόλης κι αιθανόλης.

Ο κεραυνός πήρε φωτιά, μακρυά, απ' τον γαλαξία
τον τράβηξε το μέταλλο και η αγωγιμότης,
ο έλεγχος εχάθη και η ηλεκτροπληξία
τον τίναξε στην Τρίπολη· μην ήταν Βαλτετσιώτης;

Εκεί, όσοι μαζώχνονταν, μακρυά από την Αθήνα,
χορεύαν καλαματιανούς, αντικρυστούς και μπάλους
με τα νταούλια, τα βιολιά, τις γκάιντες, τα κλαρίνα
με τροβαδούρους, ποιητές και χοροδιδασκάλους!

© 2015-10-11 G. Venetopoulos, All rights reserved
(Iambic decapentasyllabic verse)


Ηθικόν δίδαγμα: Μην οδηγείτε τον οδοστρωτήρα σας όταν πίπτουν κεραυνοί.

Marmalade Upon The Bread

Marmalade Upon The Bread

Marmalade upon the bread   7

- yet not there alone -   5

tempts the birds to taste the spread

search the unbeknown.

Stood before them, overwrought,

- Poetry and Art -

clever efforts led to naught

sweetness to impart.

© 2015-04-07, G. Venetopoulos, All Rights Reserved

(Trochaic verse 7/5)

Marmalade Upon The Bread 

The tango teacher

The tango teacher

The Latin teacher danced before
 his monolithic size,
a red dressed figure, tripping, thrilled
 his attitude and thought,
for none knew better than this femme
 to make the apple pies
his appetite desired so much
 and blurry thinking sought.

She moved around his bulkiness
 with brio and pizzazz,
convincing him to dance with her
 a tango por amor·
a man of gallantry who learned
 its steps in Alcatraz
began to twirl with elegance
 upon the marble floor.

The apple pies were resting on
 the kitchen wooden board,
so, every time he started to
 express his loving quotes
she stuffed his mouth with tasteful chunks,
 he certainly adored,
and both gyrated in the air
 with donkeys, pigs and goats.

So, dancing carelessly, the man
 betrampled on her toes
while she was holding in her teeth
 a crimson Spanish rose.

2015/10/01
© G. Venetopoulos All rights reserved
(sonnet, Iambic heptameter sonnet)