By: Stephanie Paraschis

Birds

You are sharp and bright in the morning, sweet and soft in the afternoon.
At dusk, your songs are more distinct, like you are cooing for your lover or your mother.
The breeze carries you through the day and the softness of the twilight changes your tune.
There is a memory of you from my childhood that always reminds me of the cool spring mornings, before the dawn when I would hear you outside my window; bringing with you the promise of a new day.
Even now, it my darkest hour, your sweet melodies remind me of love and light.

Cats

Grey tailed and buoyant, you play in the morning sun with kitten like wonder.
Helios leads you on in your dance of catching the fragments of it on the stone and marble.
The green garden awaits you when a cat nap is required; you can always find your favorite cool spot and laze there until you are rested.
At night, you gather yourself on my front porch like a Hitchcock novella, a little eerie and mysterious; scanning me with those sharp, grey eyes full of both wonder and suspicion.

Grey Lizards

Darting through the soil; looking like little dragons on a mission.
Are you looking for food? Or just playing in the sun with the rest of the creatures?
Your skin shimmers and shines like a translucent rainbow caught in a prism of time and space.
I look at you with wonder and awe. I wonder if you look at me the same way.
My cat purrs under my chair while the birds above fly from tree to tree.
You are still for a moment as you sit on a rock and view your universe and your place in it.
In the blink of an eye you are gone, not even a shadow is left.

Lambs

The air was thick and heady; like a late spring day.
It was mid afternoon and the sun was warming our faces and hearts.
Our favorite Sheppard came and delivered the lamb on his motorbike; a real steal for the price we paid.
His old hands were covered with scars and wrinkles; like a man that had truly lived with both pleasure and pain.
His radiant smile light up his face every time he spoke and he chatted away like I knew his Greek words.
I just nodded and smiled and wondered if he had a family to go home to. Was he married? Was his wife still alive?
I kept my thoughts to myself and smiled kindly at him.

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Stephanie Paraschis has always been an avid reader of both poetry and a great novel.  So much so, she decided to get an English Degree from the University of Toronto.

She has spent the past few years travelling through Greece and has been nothing less than inspired by the breathtaking landscapes, incredible food and the overall joy that exists there.

Her poetry is nature based and she loves nothing more than sitting on her front porch, enjoying a glass of wine while the birds sing to her.