Marilyn Humbert lives in the Northern suburbs of Sydney NSW Australia. Her tanka and haiku appear in international and Australian journals, anthologies and online. Her free verse poems have been awarded prizes in competitions, published online, in anthologies and journals most recently The Blue Nib and FemAsia Magazine.
Kilitbahir fortress *
emerges from dawn mist
. . . on the ferry
crossing the Dardanelles
we sip thick black coffee
our bus
follows rugged coastline
shadowing
steady marching columns
of WW1 soldiers
forested slopes
of Gaba Tepe soar **
from the beach
—the Turkish
hold the high ground
we listen
for sounds of battle
the voices of soldiers
—a cold wind
haunts these hills
trenches
half-filled now
echo with dreams
boys lost from both sides
names engraved on memorials
* Kilitbahir fortress – ancient castle opposite
the town of Canakkale, Dardanelles Strait Turkey
** Gaba Tepe – landing site, known by Allies as ANZAC Cove
First Published Ribbons 2020 Volume 16. No 1
Athens – Day 1
Tired and bleary eyed after a 22-hour flight from Sydney. The sunshine is dazzling this November morning. I’m in awe. The cityscape from the X95 bus, the mix of ancient and new.
airport express
to Syntagma Square
freeway rush
passes tiny stone churches,
new apartment blocks
metro ride
among packed carriages
of smiling locals . . .
tiny old women in black
teens sending iPhone texts
the twisting alleys
and cobblestone squares
. . . I listen
to an organ grinder
outside Marks & Spencer
slow stepping
presidential guards
in red clogs
their clopping gait
like cavalry on parade
autumn sun falls
behind the Acropolis
the Parthenon’s
columns shine gold
touched again by Helios
First Published Ribbons 2020 Volume 16. No 2
Poetry in this post: © Marilyn Humbert
Published with the permission of Marilyn Humbert