She slept as light

As a butterfly’s flight.

Then I pleaded to her

Not yielding to her

Inner haste.

Still time for a cupper

No.

She had been told to leave

The Red Tower at ten a.m.

By whom?

She wouldn’t listen to me

Offering her a stay till twelve.

Off she strutted to the lift

Swearing at me not helping

Her enough

Although I offered ma help

But only once I was dressed.

We still could have fresh

Ground coffee

But it shouldn’t be.

Headstrong to stubborn

Runs in her family of

Three sisters and a brother.

Dear God.doG raeD

zoltanzelan

ZJG-POetry’17.

As a young boy I still

Celebrated X-mas with

My family:

Mom

Grandma from father’s side

Uncle Miki – bro to my dad

Who married Mom for a

Joseph-styled life –

Living in celibate

Which I did not understand

In my state of ignorant

Innocence.

Today 62 years later

I’ve been exposed to a day

Of pain and misery

The state of a nervous suffering

Of my spouse

As she moves like quicksilver

Irritated by the slightest

Inconvenience

Annoyed by a word during

A discussion.

Tolerance is required by both

Spouses

One also needs to listen

Not to project one’s opinion

In continual opinionated talk.

Reflection.

After travelling the road of life

Together for 49 years

The year-end bells toll

For living apart

APART.TRAPA

zoltanzelan

ZJG-POetry’17.

An early morn’ as she rises

Let’s me turn in my sleep.

She packs and leaves even

Her coffee I’ve made for her.

She takes words too literally

Even a different opinion

Makes her scream inside

Knifing her delicate stomach.

Life together had been

A ride through hell for her

Besides some glimpses of

Paradisiacal times:

Umhlanga

Mauritius

Cape Agalhas

Muizenberg

Llandadno

Camps Bay

Clifton Beach 2

Cape Town

Egypt

Greece

Kriti

Karpathos.

Has she forgotten all of it?

Did her nerve-ridden devil

Wipe out all of it?

No.

She still speaks of Edwin

Just as the poet speaks

Of Ana  Anna  Aneta.

Life has rolled on like

Speed trains

We were travelling on

Parallel spurs together

With different expectations.

There were some resting

Places where we would meet

For a glimpse of our journey

We had left behind.

BEHIND.DNIHEB

Zoltanzelan

ZJG-POetry’17.

The TV has no sound

But if you work creatively

It has no bearing on you at all.

The drawings emerge

Pencil

Liquid gel

Watercolour.

Pure colours like fresh dew

On plants and flowers.

The inner sound is on

There’s no stopping to

The music

There are no soundproof

Chambers of the heart.

You have to heat up water

Add some natural oils and

With hot vapour you’ll

Clear up your lungs

With a first knife cut to

Your throat

Until all settles down

To a sauna-type atmosphere

Covered up with a towel.

You’ll get well soon

You have set your mind on it.

SET.TES

zoltanzelan

ZJG-POetry’17.

The city is still asleep

It’s a day when it closes down

At noon.

Most people prepare for a X-mas

Get together

For in Austria there’s no

Boxing Day like in England

And presents are opened

After an early evening

Celebration.

Mr T

B and the poet

Were yesterday night invited

For a concert by the

Bolshoi Don Cossack Choir.

Mighty voices of opera singers

Let the concert house shake

Move the visitors except for

A local X-mas carol

But welcome for the Russian

Folk songs.

Ce ca.

zoltanzelan

ZJG-POetry’17.

For days on end the poet

Had lived in seclusion

Body and mind in one

With his art

His soul though lost in the

Sea of X-mas lighting

Conducive to spend one’s

Money at the shops.

The artist’s soul has returned

At night to the warm bed of

Energy

Where the batteries of his

Creativity are reloaded.

Yet he wakes to a half-hearted

Welcome of a day

That has not yet decided

To be warm or cold.

The icy grip of the wind has

Departed

Children wish for snow.

Days of regular white X-mas

Remain solely embedded in

One’s memory

Like Art & Love.

Art&Love.evoL&trA.

zoltanzelan

ZJG-POetry’17.

The artist had withdrawn

Into the Red Tower recluse

Just a stone throw from

Famous St Stephen’s Cathedral

Where famous festive songs

Underline X-mas celebrations.

Mr T asked the poet to stay

At his side at the Hanukah

Festivities at Esra

Where songs and happy sounds

Tied people together in belief

And social gathering.

Both religious get together

Happiness through communities

Sharpening the senses for their

Togetherness.

The artist being an agnostic

Has inserted his prayers into

His canvas.

The poet who observes his

Fellow men and women

Listens to their pleas complaints

And rebellious discussions

Enjoys the manifold of cultural

Diversities.

We all had a special Vodka

From which one cannot get drunk

Carnival donuts and Swiss roulade.

One lady at an adjoining table –

She looks like Aunt Annie –

Speaks continuously to her neighbor

With a preacher’s intensity

Eyes sharpened as if angry

Snake eyes staring at her prey.

A heavy man next to Mr T has

Already eaten all the donuts.

Mrs Black will wrap up the last

Swiss cream roulade

Take it home for her coffee break.

It’s a cold night

A slight drizzle grazes our cheeks.

Time to go home and hearth.

Where is home?

Home.emoH

zolzanzelan

ZJG-POetry’17.