Ray Greenblatt has lived in New England, the West Indies, and along the Eastern Shore. He has written short stories, essays, and poetry which have been published across the U.S. in periodicals as diverse as America, English Journal, and Joseph Conrad Today.
He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and won the Anthony Byrne Prize. He was also the editor of the magazine General Eclectic. A teacher for many years Ray Greenblatt has taught writing in the Philadelphia Writers Conference as well as spoken at the John Steinbeck Festival in Salinas, California.
Caught in a current
above an azure color
a lone gull calls
like a lost voice.
The waves pound upon
impervious shores,
impotent fists
upon a locked door.
The house perches on a crag
a flagpole-sitter
still there after
countless depressions.
The fig trees
the olive trees,
so many strewn jewels
wasted by careless hands.
I shuffle through empty
rooms cobbled together,
the terrazzo floor’s
design ever brilliant.
Searing sun fills the house
as tangible as flesh–
one step more into anguish
and I will recreate you.
GREEK IN EXILE
He sits in thick sunlight
of concluded memories
tries to decipher
the scrawling of sky
his splashing in the surf
drowned by sea’s muttering
large mug of wine
nectar or alum;
after dust and noise
have ebbed into silence
when a letter arrives
his nicked knuckles trembling
he slices it open
with fine glinting steel
peering obliquely in
to make any message
palatable,
even bland.
GROUND MIST NEAR CORINTH
We waded through
what might be smoke from fires
in the Peloponnesian War
or exploding bombs
in World War Two
ground mist spun
from earth still cold and
a stroke of spring warmth
your legs bare
long hair mating with the wind
tight clasped hands
like many other things
as we angled down a hillside
thick with bright colors
which could be
poppy, hyacinth
asphodel, anemone
toward the Corinth Canal
and the sea beyond.
For other contributions by Ray Greenblatt, please follow the links below:
- CARCASONNE …
- SAILING ON CORFU …
- PAINTERS ON THE MED
- SOUTHERN FRENCH TOWN …
- RIVIERA WEATHER …
- A PERFECT PLACE …
- FOLLOWING THE GUIDEBOOK …
- GREEK MAGIC …
- MINORCA: NEWLY ARRIVED …
- PASSING THROUGH TOULON …
- CIRCLE OF LIGHT …
- THE ANCIENT AIR OF ORVIETO …
- MONTE CARLO …
- ATHENA ENTERS …
- NAUSICAA …
- A HARD SONG …
- GOLDEN AFTERNOON – MENTON …
- ON THE BEACH AT PIRAEUS …
- CONTEMPORARY LUXURY …
- TOO LONG ON CORFU …
- CRAZY IN SICILY …
- AN ATHENIAN DAY …
- TO THE BEACH …
- THE ISLAND THAT DISAPPEARED …
- A TRANSLATION FROM ALEXANDRIA …
- I, SAPPHO …
- HERAKLEION …
- TOURISTS …
- BARCELONA …
Poetry in this post: © Ray Greenblatt
Published with the permission of Ray Greenblatt