Ipatia Koumoundouros Apostolides is a Greek American author and poet. She holds a B.A. in Biology, an MFA in Creative Writing, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in leadership with a specialty in English. She has published several novels and a poetry book. Several of her poems have been published in the following journals: Feelings, DJI, Poetry Journal, Parnassus, and online poetry sites. Several poems have received honorable mentions. As Director of the Hellenic Writers’ Group of Washington DC, she conducts classes in the craft of writing, holds writing workshops, and hosts speaker presentations. She is editor and contributor of the poetry book Glimpses of Our World, a bilingual anthology of Greek and American poems by the Hellenic Writers’ Group of Washington DC.
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I row with rhythmic appeal, and the boat responds with a sigh,
Pushing me through the purest blue abyss, this canvas.
So sleek, so smooth, so shiny, like a fresh oil painting.
I stop and peer into its depths, searching for treasures underneath,
Only to see my face. My palms welcome the coolness of the water
As I stoop to caress my shifting, youthful image.
Traces of a tan can be felt as the hot sun erases any sign of whiteness on
My skin. Visions of shade under a tree entice me to return. Pulling the
Oars, I turn back, retracing my zigzagged path to land.
Splash! Spurts of spray surround me; glistening jewels burst out of the
Water. Small, brave fish playfully escort me home, past the lethal fishing
Nets carefully cast in the dead of night. It is but a game for you.
When I dock, a last glance inside the boat reveals a shivering, lonely fish.
Scooping you up, I release you into the cool water. Go back to your home,
Little one, for tomorrow you have school.
Poem from the poetry book Candlelit Journey: Poetry from the Heart
The Flame
Olympic Torch, the flame of Greece
Of Hope, of Creativity
Do light the path that leads to Peace
To Love, and to Eternity.
You watched the great Olympians
With grace and sinewy eloquence
Defeat their fellow citizens
Crowned heads did mark their excellence.
Your flame continued its own race
Olympic spirit never dies
You filled men’s minds with Godly grace
To strive beyond their mortal binds.
You watched the Masters work at night
El Greco, Kazantzakis, too
You lit their fading candlelight
For without light, there is no hue.
Vangelis knew you very well
A prodigy, composed divine
For creativity did dwell
A symphony, notes in his mind.
The flame is liberty at best
It frees the soul to claim its light
Or else lies buried with the rest
Of humankind who have no sight.
Poem from the poetry book Candlelit Journey: Poetry from the Heart
The Butterfly Park in Rhodes
The trees watch me with closed breath, these sleepless giants
Guarding my enchanted journey over the small bridge, as I make my way
Toward their dimly lit paths, lush plants, and boulder-like rocks.
Proud, these upright columns of antiquity
Their roots buried deep within the earth’s pliant flesh
To gorge themselves with underground streaming waters
Their leaves, like green umbrellas, shade me from the sun,
As branches sway with the puffing of the wind. I can hear
Their whisperings of times long past, beckoning me to eavesdrop.
Butterfly Park, where are your habitats, those beautiful, delicate
Butterflies that you are famous for? I came thousands of miles to see them.
Are they resting? It is very quiet here.
Further down the dirt path, I see a trickle of light rays
Exposing those tiny creatures with their translucent wings.
I feel as if I’m being watched by millions of eyes.
With a clap of my hands, a cloud of rainbow-colored wings
Move in unison, like a flock of birds, swiftly, silently,
From the comfort of the ground plants toward the safety of the tree branches,
All in one, united swoop. I sit and watch this miraculous flight,
Wondering if one day, I too, will fly.
Poem from the poetry book Candlelit Journey: Poetry from the Heart
Poetry in this post: © Ipatia Koumoundouros Apostolides
Published with the permission of Ipatia Koumoundouros Apostolides