ERMANNO SPERA

 

 

The Phoenix

 

I see you rise again

you have the shimmering feathers of a phoenix

your flames light up the sky tonight

the Dioscuri watch as events unfold

a single passing cloud

reflects a lighthouse, illuminating the desert

the stars accompany your aura

a gentle breeze, your breath

you bring in the blink of an eye

death, life

a bare meadow dresses itself in flowers, in trees

the mountain peaks, as if ashamed

rediscover their own eyes

recognising even the moon, the stars

when your flight ends, you fold your wings

abandoned to the rising sun

a love song

a sincere gaze

I look at you, you struggle with your silence

dawn brings brushstrokes of pink

into an open chest

where a treasure

is always the same

 

A Wall, No Longer Empty

 

if there were a painting in which I could walk through a painted landscape

I don’t think I would leave a single footprint

the colours would absorb my presence, making it vanish

just as happens when I walk along a path at dusk

perhaps after a rainy day

I wouldn’t hear the birdsong; the only scent I’d smell

would be that of linseed oil, perhaps not even that

I could only imagine, immersing myself in my mind, that I was there

he within that wall, I as a mere observer, captivated by something that does not belong to me

the painter’s gaze

only he has walked there

only he has left his footprints, painting trees, leaves, that path I walk with my eyes

those jubilant swallows cutting through the air to brush the grass the ears of wheat

the sky, with its timid colours, as when the sun is leaving the scene

what would happen if that stream spoke to me?

I will never find myself captured in that moment

all I can do is look at it as if it were a photograph

but it isn’t like that, believe me, there is much more to it

 

ERMANNO SPERA

 

ERMANNO SPERA:  Was born in Rome (Italy) on 11 March 1967, where he lives. He is a writer, poet and painter. He has participated in various poetry competitions and his poems have been included in national and international literary anthologies. Philosophical concepts, metaphorical expressions and a great lyrical ability are highlighted in his poems. He knows how to juxtapose with skilful stylistic ability images and landscapes of the soul and strong conceptual intuitions. Ermanno Spera’s poems are a treasure trove of ideas, inventions, hidden adventures where the poetic and artistic spirit of the author is compressed and expressed. In his works, the concept of troubled humanity almost always manifests itself even if the poet tends to hide and mask reality, making it become joyful and peaceful as his soul thirsting for peace and justice desires. Sometimes his poetry becomes hermetic and enigmatic. Many metaphors, visions and how much thought his mind releases which does not rack his brain over memory, but always tries to pave the way for new paths of the spirit. He is author of several published books; poetry collections, fairy and short stories.