Classes have ended for now. So I've resumed painting in watercolor. This piece has been languishing the past few months because I was too busy to tackle it. Today, I believe I finished it (they are really never finished, but at some point, you have to let go). This is painted on an Arches 300 lb. paper.
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
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
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.
I realize that I may not have fully acknowledged a significant aspect of my life: music. I began playing the viola in third grade and participated in school orchestras throughout my early years. My passion for music led me to minor in it during my time at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. There, I also studied viola at the Cleveland Institute of Music and participated in various musical ensembles.
During my twenties in the Cleveland area, I had the privilege of playing viola with the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra, conducted by Hyman Chandler, who also served as my teacher. Subsequently, I performed with the Cleveland Philharmonic for several years. While working at the Cleveland Clinic, I formed a chamber ensemble that played at various events.
In 1998, after my move to Cincinnati, I played with the Fairfield-Hamilton Symphony and taught viola and violin. Later, when I relocated to the Washington, D.C. area, I continued to play viola with the Friday Morning Music Club and other ensembles.
In 2008, I experienced a fall down a flight of stairs that resulted in a neck injury, which sadly forced me to stop playing the viola. Four years later, I attempted to play the violin— a smaller, more manageable instrument— and have enjoyed playing it since 2012.
I have taken private lessons from Deb Stotelmyer at Hagerstown Community College and attended their string ensemble. I spent a couple of years at the Cumberland Valley School of Music at Wilson College, PA. In 2014, I joined the Frederick Symphony Orchestra, Frederick, MD, as second violin under the direction of Elise Koehler, and later, Glenn Quadar. I played with the FSO for approximately six years. During that time, my colleagues and I formed a string quartet named "Eklektika," and we participated in their outreach program at local libraries, performing violin during storytelling sessions for children and various groups. I left FSO in 2020. I am pleased to share that as of 2026, I have rejoined the Frederick Symphony Orchestra.
Here are some of the events that FSO's Eklektika performed:
Children's Story Time Music at the Library:
Middletown Public Library:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0HTL-kv8A0
Halloween:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpFG0sCV_04
Holiday Christmas music:
Part I - FCC ILR event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeE20cpfY6E&list=RDaeE20cpfY6E&start_radio=1
Part II - FCC ILR event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRwLb4GXC48&list=RDLRwLb4GXC48&start_radio=1
GREEK EVENTS:
I have also played Greek music at a March 25th function by H.S. Prometheas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoAMzESn1ts&list=RDSoAMzESn1ts&start_radio=1
Visit my Youtube channel for more of my playing:
Agni Parthene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpEtXUt4I1w
Holy Friday Lamentations (Eggomia) Stasis 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-UG8u_2xHw
Holy Friday Lamentations (Eggomie) Stasis 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiobOYVKPT4
Holy Friday Lamentations (Eggomia) Stasis 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF_vI1SBU-4
Finally, I have created my own music (either by playing it on the piano or using Noteflight to publish it) and set several of the music to my poems. Visit my Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJLi0C27uK4&list=PLd-nrCmM2lxAihOkfnxR2tmA1k9lfbI1S
I hope you enjoy listening to them!
Until next time,
Patty
Two of my poems are published in the July 2025 issue of Pen In Hand Literary Journal. The publication from the Maryland Writers Association is available on Amazon.com.
National Poetry Month happens to be celebrated in April, and this year, I was listed as one of ten Greek-American poets by Maria Karamitsos on her website. She highlights my poetry book Candlelit Journey: Poetry from the Heart. Maria is a journalist and the founder/publisher/editor of WindyCity Greek Magazine. She currently writes for Neo Magazine.
Here is the link to the listing:
https://www.mariakaramitsos.com/2025/04/national-poetry-month-10-greek-american-poets/
Here is a little background to this poem. I have been noticing a dichotomy between people who strive to get ahead, to achieve, to reach their potential and those who accept what is handed to them, doing the bare minimal, and not achieving their potential. Of course, I am generalizing, and there is a danger in generalizing, but for the sake of the poem, I simplified my reasoning about the complexities of life.
I tend to be in the group that achieves, and sometimes it is difficult to stop, because stopping means death. Anyway, I came across a passage about the river from a novel, suggested recently by a member of a forum, and it inspired me to write this poem about the river.
