Vernal Equinox: Vernal Equinox [Paperback]

Product Details

Paperback: 116 pages
Publisher: Ekstasis Editions (April 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1897430698
ISBN-13: 978-1897430699
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

By : Manolis
Price : $21.95

Vernal Equinox [Paperback]

Customer Reviews

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. Possibly the Greek mythological god Eros had an influence on this set of verses, despite the fact that they wouldn't necessarily be thought of erotic. It's said of Eros that "his top quality of appreciate was believed to be spiritual as properly as physical, and was normally believed to be the deity who caused the enjoy of beauty, healing, freedom, and numerous other excellent points as nicely as the appreciate among people today" (1). The Romans known as him Cupid, and he was recognized for his quiver of arrows that struck quite often at random.
What is designed in Vernal Equinox goes beyond just passion...this is no Harlequin poetry selection. As an alternative, the focus is on the feelings of both solitude and space that affection fills. The grace of companionship through problems, and the familiar grasp of a hand that soothes soon after a nightmare.
The Church is a frequent character in the poems, often as setting and other occasions as a foil to the romance it appears to hamper. If something, Manolis seems to contrast the pomp and drama of "grandiose" Church philosophies with the simplicity of tangible human affection. The addition of like adjustments the geography of the world in which we reside, he appears to recommend.
In "New Dusk",
In the streets we built
For our future encounter and
Our little talks at twilight
We'll construct new signposts
And erect small statuettes
Opposite a descending sun
A poet of the insignificant
We'll anoint our new saint
Whilst you and I bestow benevolence
Onto this city with her grandiose churches
And the grieving priest shedding false tears
Authentic affection isn't quick to locate, as lamented in some of the poems. It sometimes disappears devoid of a trace, or misses its mark. In a single poem, "Peeling," a lonely woman prepares a beautiful feast for her husband, craving just a bit of appreciation and affection. But his hockey game on television is where his heart is focused. In "Ambience," the sense of transitory affection propels the words so descriptively you can sense the couple inevitably being torn apart:
Ambient solace of your
Embrace exactly where I seek refuge
Your fingerprints tangle
My beard into rolled anguish
Keep--stay with this a although don't
Disturb equanimity of
Reddish dusk or let a lonely cloud
Cover this serenity or permit your
Day's anxiousness 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 seems 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 substantial. It turns out that yes, it does mean some thing: `a while' is a noun meaning a period of time. This usage underlines the ephemeral nature of the intimacy between 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 like.
That you continually search in dark corners
Believing you know what you seek
That you continually yearn for a shadow
To aid you pass unnoticed by moonlight
Beyond arm's reach of your lustful appetite
And try to conceal your eyes behind sunglasses even though
You cannot fail to be stunned by sunshine still
Only harsh light without him by your side
The title Vernal Equinox is most proper for such an assemblage of poems. It's stated that conception increases dramatically on the date of the vernal equinox (three). Probably it's just a myth, but the ideas 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.