Alessio Zanelli is an Italian poet who writes in English. His work has appeared in about 250 literary journals from 19 countries. His sixth collection, titled The Invisible, was published in 2024 by Greenwich Exchange (London). For more information please visit www.alessiozanelli.it and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessio_Zanelli.
The waves swash in and out,
perfect, unyielding, hypnotizing,
like a self-winding water clock,
carrying along old memories—
round, smooth, flat pebbles.
The time has flown,
exact, punctual, silent,
is but a few clicks away
from the final susurrus—
one last breaker ashore.
The real reason why
in the beginning I came
and I’ve stayed ever since
is an absolute, infinite smile—
forever frozen in my eyes.
Spotting Pebbles
Zillions clothe the seabed and the shingle.
The big ones on the backbeach—
they signify ripe age;
the medium-sized ones on the foreshore—
they intend youth;
the small ones on the surf zone floor—
they spell birth.
I still have to determine
which size means pure essence,
assuming one exists.
Among the regular outlines,
the ellipse is the most common—
it implies conformity;
the oval is more difficult to find—
it purports defiance;
the perfect circle is nearly unobtainable—
and that suggests freedom.
I still have to determine
which outline represents transcendence,
as I am sure one exists.
Pebbles can only be picked
in shallow water or on the strand.
None are ever washed ashore,
and further out to sea it is just sand.
Shoreface-Blinded
Light flood. Glitter. Sparkle.
The absolute indigo thin stripe,
a neat divide between
pale cerulean and deep aquamarine.
Oblivion and obsession
can here coexist,
so do prime and ripeness,
being and nonbeing.
Too much of vastitude,
too little of me.
The assuagement of blinding.
Light flood. Glitter. Sparkle.
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Poetry in this post: © Alessio Zanelli
Published with the permission of Alessio Zanelli