Gentle, refreshing breeze
draping our body and soul;
Shades of light, 
enriching palate of sight and thought

Day, handing baton to Night


OM
8 June 2022

Fascinating article on disability ramps in Greek temples, allowing access to those with young children and disabilities.

ARTIFICIAL TETHERS

HVAC, 
you stab in the back;
In (sub)urban fox hole,
you challenge the soul

Prisoner of climate,
let us rethink, 
life is finite

Transport us to place,
where wind
blows air in our face

OM

Ο κύκλος στενεύει,
μας φέρνει πιο κοντά

The radius tightens,
drawing us closer

Πόσες φορές
αλλάξαμε μάσκα,
θεατρική συνταγή
με παρενέργειες;

How many times
did we change masks,
theatrical recipe
with side effects?

Μην πάτε γυρεύοντας
όταν η ουσία
η έμπνευση
μπροστά μας είναι 

Don’t bother searching
when the substance,
the inspiration,
are in front of us

Ευχαριστίες
που τονίζουν
τις λέξεις,
το περιεχόμενο

Thanks,
accenting
the words,
the content

Ο Ήλιος κάνει το γύρο του, 
η Σελήνη  ακολουθεί
Κύκλος ζωής,
μας θυμίζει
την ομορφιά που εμπνέει 

Helios makes his rounds,
Selene following;
Circle of life,
reminding us
of beauty around us

Ευλογιά ειρήνης, υγείας
με συναντήσεις

Blessings of peace, health
with frequent gatherings

Οδυσσεας 
Odysseus

Light and sound,
welcoming breeze;
Synanthropes,
conversing, smiling;
Aromas,
taking us to other times,
resetting our presence
in the present
and continuity 

Odysseus, 1 June 2022

Στην αγριάδα ομορφιά, 
άνθη στο σάβανο φύσης 
η Αφροδίτη αγκαλιάζει τη Γη

Η Δημητρα
καλωσορίζει την Περσεφόνη 
η άνοιξη χαμογελά

In beauty of wilderness,
blossoms on nature’s tapestry
Aphrodite embraces Gaia

Demeter 
welcomes Persephone
Spring smiles

ΟΜ
Μάιος 2019
Ραφήνα

“There was Antonis, a man who emigrated to America from Greece, who thought he was a ‘real Greek’ and that everyone from Alatsata [present-day Alacati] and Asia Minor were inferior. Antonis worked in a restaurant, and he made a point of letting people like my uncle and other ‘Ottoman Greeks,’ as he called them, in only through the south door, which was for Blacks.”
— Read on www.ekathimerini.com/society/1185186/the-anatolian-greeks-who-settled-in-the-us/

FACING HISTORY

A journey to Trader Joe's usually involves sampling the latest end-cap items, picking up things you did not have on your list, and friendly staff.  The unexpected greeted me yesterday, as I went to pick up some non-essentials.

Walking down the frozen appetizers section, I noted an older man with a hat that had "WW2 Veteran" on it. 

"What theater of operations were you in?" I asked.

Bernard Weiss was a breath of fresh air, a tribute to the nonagenarian spirit.  Having been assigned to the Seventh Armored Division in Europe, he was relocated, much to his consternation, to the Pacific theater of operations, where he saw bloody action in Guam and surrounding areas.  I asked him whether taking Japanese prisoners was the exception rather than the rule.  "Absolutely," he replied.  "We would secure islands where the army needed to build air strips; we captured very few Japanese, as surrender was considered shameful."   He spoke at length about his experience, at one point pulling out his wallet, from which he took out a black and white photo, taken in 1945, where he is pictured with a smiling Japanese POW.  "Why is the prisoner smiling,"  I asked.  "Because he is alive, and I let him keep his wedding band,"  replied Bernie, who had no problem communicating with the prisoner, as the latter was originally from California, having gone back to Japan before the beginning of the war.

Proudly awaiting his ninety-third birthday, Bernie told me that he married Ingrid, a former German diplomat stationed in Washingon, in the 1980s, and that they travel to Munich often. 

I thanked him for his sacrifice and for sharing his life with me.

My day was ever more enriched, as was my life.


Odysseus
May 24, 2012

VARIATIONS
on a minor key,
Symphony of rarity
when synergy occurs;
Inertia,
intractable attitude,
no willingness to move forward

26 February 2020

Filtering sky
and thoughts;

Mental blinders,
not as obvious;

Loss of sight
stimulating depth of vision,
as Helios peeks through
narrow slits of optimism

22 May 2022
OM