Whatever the drift may have been,
I always say I am a professor of poetry, I profess poetry; think of me as a snake-oil salesman, a confidence man: I don’t want to test your accumulated knowledge; I want to convince you of the value of poetry as a method, as a way of writing, as a form of vision. . . . .
By the time it took us to absorb it,
. . . . .poetry is the ultimate small business, requiring a careful keeping of accounts to stay afloat.
We’d already been taken in.
Jiminy Cricket! That was meWhen my legs were headingInto the final stretch.Never figured out whyThey had to up and stop Dead in their tracks Soon as they came toThe nearest knee patch.
You gotta hand it to him—The dude never lost his coolWondering how it was this hotMomma kept poppingPan after pan in her ovenSo that poppa could alsoPut his hand in wheneverHe moseyed on back.
Τζιβαέρι (Traditional Greek song of immigration) Please scroll down for English translation and accompanying video.Αχ! Η ξενιτειά το χαίρεταιΤζιβαέρι μουΤο μοσχολούλουδο μουσιγανά και ταπεινάΑχ! Εγώ ήμουνα που το ‘στειλαΤζιβαέρι μουΜε θέλημα δικό μουσιγανά πατώ στη γηΑχ! Πανάθεμά σε ξενιτειάΤζιβαέρι μουΕσέ και το καλό σουσιγανά και ταπεινάΑχ! Που πήρες το παιδάκι μουΤζιβαέρι μουκαι το ‘κανες δικό σουσιγανά πατώ στη γηEnglish translationTzivaeri (Jewel)
Ah! Foreign lands delight in herMy TzivaeriMy beautiful, sweet-smelling flower Softly and humblyAh! I was the one who sent her thereMy TzivaeriAs I wished it soSoftly do I walk upon on the earthAh! Damn you, foreign landsMy TzivaeriYou and your goodness tooSoftly and humblyAh! That you took my little childMy TzivaeriAnd made her yoursSoftly do I walk upon the earth(rush translation by Vazambam)Probably the most popular (and perhaps the most poignant) traditional Greek song dealing with the theme of immigration; in this impromptu video recorded during a rehearsal last summer in Tacoma, Washington, our daughter Efiniki is accompanied by The Makedonians.
Tzivaeri--a surprise, name day gift post for our spirited jewel of a daughter, who celebrates her name(s) twice a year—one on January 20th as Efi=Efthimia and the other on December 6th as Niki=Nicholas—what a winning combination! My thanks to the unknown artist who recorded the video but who unfortunately captured my tzivaeri singing only the last two stanzas. No matter. For someone so far away from a loved one, this video is definitely sweet, poignant music. Afterword: For those in the vicinity of Tacoma, you can hear The Makedonians and Efiniki this coming Saturday, January 23, here.
Check it out and don't forget to shout "Ohpa, manges!"
Should he hit his mark,The sharp-
Shooting hunter kills
The boar, if not
The bore kills us all.
