Another poem online - DylanDay 2022

 I had written a poem for Dylan Day in 2022. It is called "Touched by a Mermaid."

and can be found here: https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/22011974/3128325086360510154

I have also copied it here - 

Touched by a Mermaid

 

The glimmering Aegean Sea,

kissed by the silent sun,

sheds millions of shimmering stars

and delights my eyes.

 

Warm sandy beach greets my feet.

I stride in the cool water,

take a deep breath and dive

into the cool chamber of antiquity.

 

The sea gathers me in its fold,

caressing me like a lover.

 

I swim for a while, then

float among the stars 

that coat the calm blue sea.

 

The sun lulls me to sleep.

 

I dream about Alexander the Great and

Thessaloniki, his half-sister, the mermaid.

 

A howling wind erupts my cocoon.

Thessaloniki’s hands grip my feet

pulling me down, and

I sink quickly.

 

Struggling to be free from her grip,

I cry out Alexander lives! He lives! 

 

She lets go and swims away as

the tip of her tail flashes

among the frothy waves.

 

I awaken to the soothing sounds of the waves 

that lap the shore.

 

It must have been a dream.

 

I float along the calm water,

among the sea’s glimmering stars,

kissed by the sun that sees everything

and says nothing.

 

 

Ipatia K. Apostolides, Greece/USA

April 2022 - for DylanDay2022

 

Two of my poems published in Pen In Hand Literary Journal January 2026

I am pleased to announce that two of my recent poems, "A Million Lives, A Million Deaths" and "Narcissus" were published in the literary journal Pen In Hand in their January 2026 publication. This journal from the Maryland Writer's Association includes poems, short stories, memoirs, and essays. The editor is Roderick Deacey. 

Here is the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Pen-Hand-Literary-Maryland-Association/dp/B0GHQZX6HM

My Poetry Published Before the Year 2000

 Although I had been writing poems since I was twelve, I began submitting my poems to journals, and was publishing poetry from 1988 on. It was before the Internet took off. Recently, I discovered a list of poems that had been published during that time, and had forgotten about them. However, when I searched for those journals online, several of them had gone out of business or were not found online.

My poetry published before or by 2000 in journals:

1. "My Iota." American Poetry Anthology,  The American Poetry Association, vol. VII, no. 5, 1988, pg. 162.

2. "Swordplay." Feelings, Fall 1994, pg. 31.

3. "Dancing Glasses." Parnassus Literary Journal, May 1994.

4. "Your Essence." Dream International Quarterly, Winter 1996-1997, pg. 48.

5. "Tyche's Fortune." The Promise of Dawn. The National Library of Poetry, 1998. pg. 60.

6. "Out of Reach." Poeticvoices.com, February 2000.