Two Poems by Marieta Maglas

Memories

Our love mixes with seaweed,
a sweet memory,
sprinkled with salt. It grows
between the breeze
and the hurricane,
the fruit of an inner struggle.
The green waves crash
in a murmur that
cools the warm and
ancient sand; limits; perception.
New tides of change
cast our minds back;
the courage to exist.
In the space between
ancientness and nowness,
our perfect love is eternal,
a song for a dance,
an invisible one, and
a wave-like movement
on the shores of our hearts.
We can feel our holy angels,
wounded wings,
echoes of a distant cry.
In every salty breath, a prayer
and a promise.
Between freedom and serfdom,
we fathom our dodecahedral geodesic,
spiritual sphere out.
The reality is circumjacent;
contiguous eyesight.
The voice of God becomes an echo
to inhabit the twilight world.


Echoing Shells

Bleeding shadows seemingly run away;
disappear into the blazing sand.
Wet rays hit the skin;
change the meaning
of the colors.
A new song cannot be heard;
It is not born yet.
Waves covering dead shells,
lost steps, and destroyed castles
echo with the inner silence.
Battleships are eaten imperceptibly
by the horizon.
The gales remain to scream
in the blue while bringing
ghosts to the shore.
‘Tis a new time in the old one~
always different.
Nature seems to be the same;
suffering brings peace
in an invisible way~
in this need for love.




Marieta Maglas has been published in The MockingOwl Roost, Lothlorien Journal, Verse-Virtual, Silver Birch Press, Sybaritic Press, Kingfisher Poetry, Oddville PressProlific Press, Dashboard Horus, Coin-Operated Press, Mayari Literature, Synchronized Chaos, Al-Khemia Poetica, PentaCat Press, The Queer Gaze, Phoenix Z Publishing, All Your Poems Magazine, Journal of the Akita International Haiku, and others. Her poems have also appeared in anthologies such as Near Kin: A Collection of Words and Art Inspired by Octavia Estelle Butler, Nancy Drew Anthology, The Cardinal Anthology Vol. 3, Ain’t no Deadbeats Around Here, and Startled by MUSIC 2023.

“Memories” by Kelly Okoniewski

So many days blend into one.
The moon in the sky yields to the rise of the sun.
Laundry, bills, homework, skinned knees,
Will I make this appointment? Where are my keys?

So many days blend into one.
Until one day, an idea came from my son…

Let’s dig for some stuff in the yard for fun.
Then compare our treasures one by one.
After that, we will find a spot and bury it,
And put a sign that says, “Memories,” so we won’t forget.

It sounded fun, but I never knew
How much this day would mean, just me and you.
Many details of days fade in a life-paced at sprint run.
But this day, I remember every single one.

The joy on your face when you found a rock of gold,
The smear of dirt across your cheek so bold,
Sunglasses pushing back your crazy hair,
The pizza pajama shirt you wanted to wear.

A long piece of green mystery pulled from the soil,  
That shimmered and sparkled under the light on the coil.
A nut with a hat, one shaped like a kiss,
Could we find anything better than this?

A TV set looking rock, seashells in the mix,
Dried leaves, plant roots, and little fragile sticks.
The touch of your little fingers in my hand,
As you handed me a new surprise pulled from the land.

How carefully you wrote on the sign,
Directing us to remember every ounce of our time.
Placing it firmly in the dirt above our buried treasure,
Wishing this moment would last forever.

Your laughter, your smile, the blue sky, and smell of discovered wonders,
Replay in my mind with such vivid, joyful sounds and colors.
So many things fade as the years go by, and yet,
The happiness of this day I will never forget.




Kelly Okoniewski is a poet, writer, and copyeditor. Her poetry has been published in WestWard Quarterly, and her writing has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul. She hopes her work makes people feel a sense of inspiration and connection. Kelly lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and son.