Joan Gerstein, originally from NY, has lived in CA since 1969. A retired educator and therapist, Joan taught creative writing to incarcerated vets for 5 years, until the pandemic. Joan has been writing poetry since elementary school, and her poems have appeared in over 30 journals, anthologies and on-line zines. Clouds Over Crete is a reminiscence of a week in Crete in 1972 when it rained every day.
The toot of the ferry’s horn
announces our departure.
Diesel fuel, cigarette smoke
infuse the briny harbor air.
Waterlogged, we bid goodbye
to Crete, craggy Island
of Heroes, land speckled
with olive and carob trees,
fragrant medicinal herbs.
Men in cafes drink bitter
coffee in demitasse cups,
women, wearing black,
scurry from market to home
to pestle cardamom, cloves,
cumin for baklava, moussaka,
spinach pie. Olives, tomatoes,
feta cheese in crisp salads
and soft pita bread stuffed
with savory lamb and beef
send scents to beguile us back.
Constant rain, overcast skies
have conspired against us.
The horizon is a blur of gray.
Morning sun valiantly seeks
entrance in firmament.
I turn for one final glance
at the birthplace of Zeus,
view a brilliant arc of color,
from one side of this Aegean
island to the other,
remodeling the landscape.
Poetry in this post: © Joan Gerstein
Published with the permission of Joan Gerstein