Vernal Equinox: Vernal Equinox [Kindle Edition]

By : Manolis
Price : $4.63

Vernal Equinox [Kindle Edition]

Buyer Critiques

Of the collections of poetry by Manolis that I've read and enjoyed, Vernal Equinox is by far the most romantic and, shall we say, the steamiest of his operates. Maybe the Greek mythological god Eros had an influence on this set of verses, though they wouldn't necessarily be viewed as erotic. It's stated of Eros that "his quality of adore was thought to be spiritual as nicely as physical, and was usually believed to be the deity who brought on the adore of beauty, healing, freedom, and a number of other superior points as well as the appreciate among persons" (1). The Romans called him Cupid, and he was recognized for his quiver of arrows that struck often at random.
What is made in Vernal Equinox goes beyond just passion...this is no Harlequin poetry choice. Rather, the focus is on the feelings of both solitude and space that affection fills. The grace of companionship by way of difficulties, and the familiar grasp of a hand that soothes after a nightmare.
The Church is a frequent character in the poems, at times as setting and other times as a foil to the romance it appears to hamper. If anything, Manolis appears to contrast the pomp and drama of "grandiose" Church philosophies with the simplicity of tangible human affection. The addition of appreciate modifications the geography of the world in which we live, he appears to suggest.
In "New Dusk",
In the streets we built
For our future encounter and
Our small talks at twilight
We'll construct new signposts
And erect smaller statuettes
Opposite a descending sun
A poet of the insignificant
We'll anoint our new saint
Although you and I bestow benevolence
Onto this city with her grandiose churches
And the grieving priest shedding false tears
Authentic affection is not hassle-free to locate, as lamented in some of the poems. It frequently disappears devoid of a trace, or misses its mark. In one particular poem, "Peeling," a lonely woman prepares a stunning feast for her husband, craving just a bit of appreciation and affection. Yet his hockey game on television is exactly where his heart is focused. In "Ambience," the sense of transitory affection propels the words so descriptively you can sense the couple inevitably getting torn apart:
Ambient solace of your
Embrace where I seek refuge
Your fingerprints tangle
My beard into rolled anguish
Stay--remain with this a when do not
Disturb equanimity of
Reddish dusk or let a lonely cloud
Cover this serenity or let your
Day's anxiety to hide behind
Our desired meditation on this
Moment in your arms and do not
Let it go for even
An infinitesimal fraction of
Time frozen or fiery
The juxtaposition of frozen and fiery in the final line appears to allude to heaven and hell, and cements the idea that this romance is purely earthly, and that neither participant wishes to move beyond any imagined heavenly reward or hellish punishment. Incidentally, I was curious why Manolis wrote "a though"' and not "awhile" in the third stanza, and if it was important. It turns out that yes, it does mean anything: `a while' is a noun which means a period of time. This usage underlines the ephemeral nature of the intimacy amongst these two lovers (two).
Lastly, in "Search," the contrast of harsh light with comforting shadow reinforces the nature of seductive affection and how we even see differently when we are in really like.
That you at all times search in dark corners
Believing you know what you seek
That you normally yearn for a shadow
To help you pass unnoticed by moonlight
Beyond arm's reach of your lustful appetite
And try to conceal your eyes behind sunglasses even though
You can not fail to be stunned by sunshine nevertheless
Only harsh light without him by your side
The title Vernal Equinox is most suitable for such an assemblage of poems. It's stated that conception increases drastically on the date of the vernal equinox (three). Possibly it's just a myth, but the concepts of rejuvenation and rebirth are linked to that date that begins Spring. Day and night are equal on the date of the equinox, which takes place only twice a year.