SYNOPSIS

An ancient music runs through the poetry of Manolis, so it is appropriate that his work should be presented with Greek en face. Vibrant, radiant, his poetry is steeped in an antique tradition and yet is thoroughly modern in scope and refreshingly new. It is at once devotional, musical and earthy, yielding deep impressions of a life lived passionately. Taut, lyrical and everywhere informed by a powerful and subtle melody, Vortex is a remarkable and exciting book of poems. It celebrates the natural and metaphysical worlds in a tone that is at once contemporary and classical, revealing an extraordinary range of subjects and ideas, handled with the surety of an accomplished voice. Vortex is both sculptural and ethereal, engaging both the mind and heart equally, and a delight to the senses.

 

 

PROMISE

 

I could come back —

you said

when you would call me

 

I could come back to saddle

my white horse and ride next to you

 

toward that glen where we sat

that sunlit afternoon

 

I could come back —

you said

without my whims

 

I could bring with me

the laughter we shared

in that sunlit glen

 

I close my eyes wondering

where you are

what keeps you away

 

 

DEWDROPS

 

Over fresh waves riding

directions from far away

 

I’ll come to you

this porous afternoon and opening

 

my palm I’ll place three

saved dew drops in the valley

 

between your breasts, one

for our lust, one singing my

 

endless desire for your

soft mound, the last one for

 

the gardenia in the flowerpot

thirsting and blooming my

 

wish to lie next to you when

we meet again

 

 

DAYBREAK

 

You always get up first

light rustle of bed-sheet

you walk to the bathroom

 

I stretch my leg to feel your warmth

outline of your missing body

I feel your heartbeat

 

pulsing smoothly on the sheet

that covered your body all night long

rhythm being in harmony with mine

 

I hear you brushing

your teeth

your hair

your steps slowly back to bed

 

waiting for me to open my eyes

like that first time

in that cheap hotel years ago

 

they must have demolished it by now

to build a newer and higher building

 

and when I pretend to wake up

like that first time you whisper

 

I love you