Philip Ruthen

East Devon, UK

Philip Ruthen is resident in East Devon, UK, his poetry and short fiction collections are available from Waterloo Press, UK. www.waterloopress.co.uk

This poem was produced for the ‘Sound Crew’ workshop poets’ on-line session, Sunday 5^th April 2020, and subsequently published a few weeks later in Poetry Express #60 – the e-magazine from national mental health and literature development charity, Survivors' Poetry.

Poem written 5^th April 2020

Rendered from the Tsabouna’s song cycle of the year

‘. . . and we say that it is possible for earth

to mingle with the stars, like a deep plow with a

      plowfield,

and for the sky to nurse the ears of wheat.’  (Angelos Sikelianos)

After, in the worsening times,

I reach to drape my arm across your breasts

reminded there is more than touch

. . . Iatromantis, heal thy rhyme . . .

I lie encased, an upturned guest

after, in the worsening times,

ignore the piper’s vital signs

this time en force, pump-action pressed

reminded there is more than touch

to hold the speech we tried to find -

I can’t recall the rest

after, in the worsening times,

buildings breath defined

are gone, take leave as if you’ve seen the best,

reminded there is more than touch

. . . then try to get another line.

I reach to drape my arm across your breasts,

after, in the worsening times,

reminded there is more than touch.

Poem notes:

Epigraph: Angelos Sikelianos, lines from  The Sacred Way (1935), as quoted in George Seferis’ On the Greek Style (1967).

Tsabouna: The Tsabouna is a Greek folk wind instrument of the bagpipe family; incidentally, I understand my third cousin plays it very well in the village festivals of Epirus.

Iatromantis: Iatromantis - a Greek word whose literal meaning is most simply described as "physician-seer," or "medicine-man"; a form of Greek "shaman".