Saturday, May 30, 2015

Philetas speaks about love



(translation from Daphnis and Chloe 2.7)

They sat in wonder as Philetas told the story, transfixed as if by a fable. And when he finished, they showered him with questions - “When was this? Who is Eros? Is he a child or a bird? What are his powers? And so Philetas hushed them and spoke his reply:

Love is a beautiful power, my children
it makes eternally young
the souls that it inflames
with the pursuit of beauty
and lifts us to ecstasies
that even the Gods cannot touch.

Love can move the Earth, the stars,
the planets –
you think you move
your flocks but love is
the power which animates
all life – the trees and the flowers
love is there -
and in the torrents
and in the air

Sunday, May 24, 2015

the chemistry of awareness

when i arrive home
worked out

i open the electric letterbox and
 - amaze! - a missive from
Helsinki
the soft vowels broken
into particles that reach me
draped in a blanket
 nursing tea

i have long arms but
maybe if they were a bit longer
i could reach out
and touch the origin
of such breathy vocalics
it all seems so close
 these days

our lives only intersect
in la-la-land
where the flip flops beep
and thoughts run deep
but the cool light of distant day
is burned away
 in an evening pillow