Eyes familiar in many faces
Bishop I am in mouflon forest
scion of the beheaded priest
who led the rebellion
Zenon I became in calm waters
and travelling merchant
to the further places
As teenagers we once met
on Balkan battlefields
with boyhood aggression
that no promise of comfort
can contain
In being George I did
what my name demands
with grit that culture builds
the wilderness to pacify
the conditions to set
for there to be another bishop

Rolling pine cone
to the birthplace of the goddess
Ionian sea salt you bring
and alpine cold of a northwestern wind
hoping to understand
how the surface
can differ from the depth

Like the falcon I shall live
in cliffs and wild mountains
there I will build my nest
on the land that rejects
the opportunists
Through my everyday life
I will demonstrate to people
that honour cannot be sold
integrity cannot be bought
and the values of the ancestors
are above profit

Partitioned life you seek
of joy minus the suffering
Homesick you thus are
for a land that never is
aspiring to a state
you shall not be present in
This rugged  boat of yours
can sail to the furthest edges
where glaciers never melt
and fire burns eternal
only to demonstrate
that foam and depth
here and there
are one

Bound to the earth
there you stand
counting the stars
as the heart takes you
to the orange scarf
that endows with enthusiasm
those who turn their tears
into a golden shower

August night in cobblestone square
musicality you are and latent passion
Behind the curtain of shadow I now carry
to the lighthouse no ship ever spots
the gentle breeze of the Aegean

It is you our sea
who connects us
with the further places
You gives us the motive
to strive for knowledge
ships to build
distant trades to do
and thus to cooperate
with people everywhere
without ever wanting
to enforce on them
our own beliefs

In you the tall mountain
we find the stability
that inspires our deeds
In your open horizons
we escape from the tunnel
of our everyday affairs
and with the patience
that builds civilisation
we restore within us
the cosmic order

This rock I consecrate
recognising that it too
partakes of cosmic oneness
I open my hands towards the sky
to fill with energy
and I look around me
so that I may remember
that I too am
a member of the whole
and that as a passenger
on this earth
I have a duty to leave behind
a world that will receive
those who shall arrive

Oh magnificent oak tree
you who saw my ancestors
working in this place
you who shade the birds
the hours when the sun is mid sky
you who with your continuous presence
remind us of the link between generations
give me today the strength
to turn my attention
to this space that environs me
and to recognise that I am
part of the whole
and that here someday
the next ones must find a land
that will enable them
to continue

From you the tireless honeybee
I draw an example for my own life
to remain consistent in my commitments
to never make discounts on my principles
and to always contribute
with whatever way I can
to the common good that unites us

In your behaviour faithful dog
I recognise the meaning of community
To also be a supporter of those
who walk alongside me
And wherever I stand to tell
the people there
who did not respect the dog
that we do not ever sell
our friends

Distant is the barking
that ignites hope
of a reunion
As weeks fly by
and although I know
you are not approaching
I still pull the curtain
hoping to witness
your innocent eyes
once again
or at least
learn from the sparrows
that you roam the wilds
I am not prepared
to traverse

From sea you come
to sea you go
on this summer day
as sun and horizon touch
take the initiative
to find your people
and live with the hope
that the dryads
will let you join
the golden dog
on another hike

Open a window
to sunbathed Olympos
where three eagles
guide mountaineers
to the slopes of serenity
Pause and marvel
as the doves take flight
from the ancient oak tree
to reach the golden grapevines
that bee-eaters
now call home

On this summer night
frogs appear
to retell the story
of days gone by
In water they stay
yet never ride the waves
to the farthest reaches
where fire and ice
are one
Here they reside
a creek as their habitat
Content with what they have
they admire the fig trees
which shall nourish
the children of the falcon

There is no going back
to fading coasts
Stormy is your sea
when yourself stands
as stern judge
and executioner
My temperance
you shall share
inner calm
for your tempests
once my dear
you learn to befriend
the rainbows

With moonward fist
measured steps I make
to silence the voice
that delights in pity

Prints in the sand
fade before me
What transpires
shall transfigure

Where aromatic rose
and blackthorn shrub
spring from shared soil
you find what you seek
once you realise
that the mountain-god
heeds my prayer
as the echo
of my steel

From the age of myth
you arrive as thunder
and whispering fountain
As the vivifying warmth
of a luminous star
Intensity you are
of a special kind
that moves hearts
and reshapes the land
In the dragon's year
grey became blue
green turned to amber
Indeterminate
Captivating
Potent
Manifest you now make
the collective will
of the sages
in yet another
awakening

Of carmine clouds I think
while searching for
the flowing waters
of rejuvenation
Like structural colour
in the eyes of whom
shall not be named
indeterminate you are
Yet deep down I know
there will come a day
when you will tell us
where you went and why
nobody ever joined you

"Stay indoors" they say
and "avoid the windows"
Cower, then, in the dark
drink poison from your fear
as you regret all the times
you did not stand up for honour
To live in freedom for a day
to mix my sweat with this land
that I would not trade
for an eternity in their comforts

Lead me to the spring
whose waters inspire dreams
that outlive the mornings

To the brightest dog
my attention turns
In this reimagining
of myth everlasting
mystic is I
and custodian
of tenets eternal

Skyward
to the summit we go
to our righteous dawn
where the golden sun
prepares
another enkindling

While you drown
in ancient waters
lured by a shadow's
promise of comfort
remember me

Whenever bitter frost
shortens your breath
and the hierophant's
teachings ring hollow
remember me

Once nobody recalls
your brave foray
into the hinterlands
depleted though you are
remember me

Remember me
as the untamed force
the glorious dawn
that empowers you
for another tomorrow

Invisible and unreachable
as the uppermost juniper leaves
against the evening sky
On streets of cobblestone
I greet your likeness
hoping that my initiative
inspires your courage
To transcend the barrier
of induced helplessness
in search for the place
where certain trees
forever hide
in plain sight

Heed the whispering trees
foretell your awakening
and dither no longer
Take the medallion
to the arid borderlands
where Eagle Rock
embraces those
who dare to live
decisively

At the temple of the goddess
while desert wind
burns through your skin
become the mirror
that reflects light
towards the heavens
where the twin sisters
claim their dominion
And remain steadfast
in the knowledge that
shifting sands
mislead only those
who ignore the stars

It is Alexander's sister
who emerges from the seabed
to warn wanton sailors
that exotic landscapes
shall not free them
from the ocean's spell

Memories of the Wind Fish
were our encounters
a world unto themselves
whose sprawling narrative
speaks of the moment's beauty

Locked gates
in the watch dog's stead
Cracked walls
amid decaying conifers
Forgotten hopes
of experiences never had
Such is the state
of being without becoming

Where no fairy flies
there are forerunners
who build in silence
their world of magic

Set ideologies aside
The flocking crows
shall guide you
to look skyward
where the travelling Sun
paints its November skies

The distant
is far away
and unreachable
The distant
is close by
and unattainable

For our small beginnings
in anticipation of your becoming
I join you by the stream
where plane trees summon their Winter

Were I a horse
to impress you with my trot
Yet shrub am I
whose strengths go unseen

To be noticed
like midday's fata morgana
at the high seas
To be felt
like the mountaineer's awe
at an open vista

Such is
the unlikely outcome
that inspires a man
to work the land
on a quiet evening

Your name
the unyielding force
that plows the land
Tonight
I build the world
you had fathomed

Thorny rose
beautiful and untouchable
like the dreams
I never dared to pursue
you are the flower
my garden was made for

I am the endurance
in your long hikes
the fortitude in all
your commitments
the sheer resilience
in your cold showers
the exuberance in each
of your long days
the star dust permeating
every fibre of your being
the unflinching devotion
to your way of living
the fountain of your
inexhaustible creativity
I am the reason why
you proceed methodically
knowing not to fasten
"forever" on galloping steeds

It is not ageing
that bothers you
but the lifestyle
which leaves you
regretful and bitter

Here waits I
at the point we meet
except
like poppies in Autumn
I am out of place
again

Despite all happenstance
I keep finding
the sequence of events
that brings me to you

My hesitation
sacrifice
to the altars
of Kronos

Once despair takes hold
and all you do is cry
find me at the conjunction
of hope and indifference

Hiking alongside you
I wonder how come
you eluded my dreams
for so long

Fly away now
the half moon
be your witness
and carry boast
of the hope
you wanted killed

To the unknown journeyman
I promise to show courage
in upholding my vows

What is an adventure
if not the commitment
to keep going?

Play of the swallows
Evening skies are busy
An early moonrise it is
Three days until full
Slopes turn orange
Dirt roads stay quiet
Wait not for potentiality
Rejoice in what transpires

Perhaps the promise of loot
and thrill of battle
or the hidden wish
to be welcomed
elsewhere

What is it that you seek
when you look back
as the slopes turn golden
A fool is but a dreamer
who was proven wrong

It is not fear of rejection
but the likelihood of affirmation
that forced this escape

In indefinite wait for the elusive
the late bloomer has an unspoken hope
That there will be more Springtime
and that two decades will not matter
Like the highlands' purple-leafed sage
some of us will not be discovered

Regret not what could have been
for you are finite
To disempower yourself
keep all options open

This is no poem with laudatory words
It speaks not of your eminence
nor does it seek to impress you
It is but the click of a camera button
that you press when there is no question
of succeeding or failing
It is in the inconsequential
that you recreate yourself
freed from the burden of performance

Some homeland embraced me
To be loved and appreciated
special are those moments
for a simple man to ignore
"Take this rifle and uniform
We shall plant a flag on Mars"
I heed the call of duty
This country loves me now
To fight a war for its sake
so that they may colonise Earth

Tell me about this January sunset
with its cold air and pink clouds
As the red fox approaches
one can only wonder in awe how
in every land, at each corner
there is opportunity and danger
separated only by moments

At the borderland
where the common sage
grows its roots
the hymns of Orpheas
echo through the woods
Broken is the heart
that heeds not its call

Worry not of tempests to be
Moments cannot be embottled
Rain might wash you away
Yet time already does

My worldview
man's night vision
lit by a candle

It has only been an eternity
of waters not flowing
What the will makes aeons undo
I shall no longer compare
golden eagle to grey dove
Let this be my sole expectation

Vipers bite those who wait for perfection
Your fear and discontent is their prey
Find acceptance in the cold waters
It can only ever be with what is available
The number of acquaintances matters not
but only who walks beside you as an equal

Our finest flowers
dreams of yesteryear
food for horses
In this world
ready or not
Time finds you

Ignore the conflagration
We shall ban the A-word
None will hate us then

There is a world, beloved,
where we stand together
holding hands
overlooking the Mediterranean
The scent coming from
orange orchards and cedar forests
reminds us of our shared humanity
It is not diversity that divides us
but the misbegotten notion that
bodies must always fall

A season ends, another begins
The days are shorter now
Crows and magpies reappear
The grapes are left behind
to turn into raisins
A bad vintage by all accounts
Let the birds feast on them
There will be a tomorrow regardless
Befriend the oak trees
They are there for all of us
And heed their wisdom
that tolerance of cold winds
does not constitute warmth within
With or without comforts
only in community you find
what you truly need

There are moments
when you wish
you could show
what has no appearance

While listening to Johny Cash
I travel to where Gypsy's pub is
The old man ever quiet behind the bar
amid bottles of rum and whisky
serving those with nowhere to go
Contemplating the dark outlines
around the Mediterranean blue
mindful of not being noticed once
now away from festive lights
I know they too will fade away
once I open my eyes for another day

When darkness besets you, fear it not
It is but an invitation
to perform a leap of faith
into a whole new world of possibilities

In your loneliest nights
the crickets
will provide you with
a sense of perspective

When man and wolf are one
there is but lightness
Dark are the spaces
where individuality is suppressed

You have found your balance
when you consistently moonbathe
along the skyward path

From the Balkan trenches
to the Cypriot pine forests
Like a century ago
in those amber eyes
Zenon's lookalike finds
renewed excitement

Blue and yellow
like the feathers
of the bee-eater
A blend of emotions
is our life
And a contrast
of desires

Atop Eagle Rock I witness another moonrise
A blend of moments is our life
Carry the light of those silver skies
to the ravine of the nightingales
Ask not "for how long?" but only "how?"

In the age of the dragonborn the child's grey-blue eyes turn brown
Those pine tree branches are growing away from the oak's shade
Two dogs shall have their nightly walk despite the tempests
Reality is what one's condition renders inescapable

On the path of the hawthorns
the temperate owl reminds you
to understand, not judge

In the presence of the moment
you are holding nothing back
when you are enamoured of colours

On windy days
pine trees sing
the song of seas

No matter the place
the heart will travel
to distant shores

Enter the nascent grove
where secrets are told
and follow the rhythm

With each wave
new life forms emerge
as others wash away

Find trees and seas
witness transfiguration anew
and dance to their beat

At the blossoming almond tree
the humble ones shall learn
Quiet your inner voice
Let nature show you
how even in your cold January days
a new cycle begins

Olympos fades into blue
The last sun rays give it warmth
I am reminded of the lavenders
beneath the Eucalyptus
at the pine tree of Atlas
As I walk past the giant fennels
I wonder, "are these raindrops?"
"Or tears of joy?"
I cannot tell anymore

Once you reach the slopes
of the hundred magpies
and meet the eagle hovering above
you shall recognise how
that which is experienced
with all the senses
cannot be reduced to words

As you carry this shrub
bathed in moonlight
You recall your duty
to be an oak to your milieu

Balancing atop the white poplar
With no leaves left to hide under
On a day when hunters shoot indiscriminately
You remind us of the great heroine
who saw in you more than a prey bird

Undisturbed you shall enter the magi's domain
With no expectations, no indecision, no regrets
Your outlook is aligned with your actuality
In self-forgiveness you walk the enchanted lands
And as you look skyward, the eagles salute you

At an indeterminate place
As figures of thought we meet
When reason remains silent
Once rules are suspended
We speak the truth

At dawn we remember them
sitting in the back seat
riding the motorcycle northward
summer days along the coastline
by the harbour bars and the beaches
behind the rocks overlooking the mainland
in the moments we cherish
and the memories we are grateful for

The white owl appears before you at twilight
Skyward you find meaning in shooting stars
Heed the crickets chirping into the night
and rest as Olympos fades in the distance

Moonrise of the new beginning
The dog patrols the perimeter
barking at the darkness

Moving shadows along the silver path
Travellers on a journey to nowhere
It is the moments that matter

Heed the voice of the mountain
Play the tune of the wind
and let the soul be anabaptised

In the land of the bee-eaters
the gatemaker's sweat
mixes with the soil

At the edge of Hera's cliff
the golden eagle
circles you thrice

Another day, another labour
Another moment, another wonder
All that is, is all that matters

I shall meet you there
at the countless greens
under the brown eagle's oak tree
between August's two full moons

Many embarked seaward
pursuing you in the dark

Many fought against waves
hoping to witness the world

Many drowned in murky waters
longing for a better tomorrow

Yet it is here I found you
in the ocean no boat can sail

From the white mountains
to the red villages
where Greek Strawberry Trees blossom
and potatoes grow

I greet the eagles 
and salute the frogs
while contemplating in awe
your everlasting beauty

Grief does not reside here

It starved on nights of few
It succumbed to loneliness
It drowned in cold showers

In its stead are stones, cement,
and the iron will that binds them