Reflections

By Luigi Pagano

A collection of: rhymed and unrhymed poems.
By Luigi Pagano

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luigi Pagano
• Release date: Jan 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452328560

Luigi Pagano

Luigi PaganoBorn in Italy, moved to England in 1961.Having dabbled in writing in his native country, he decided to resume this activity, as a hobby, in his retirement.He has published five collections of poems:‘Idle Thoughts’; ‘Reflections’; 'Cherry Ripe''; 'Poetry on Tap' and 'Cherry on Top' plus 'Guns and Dolls' – a short book containing three short stories – and three novelettes 'Jessica World'., 'An Enquiring Mind' and 'A Life's Journey'Digital versions of these can be found at Smashwords. and other distributors like Kobo and Barnes and Noble.He was a member of Writers Group and indie publishers I*D Books based in Shotton, Flintshire until they ceased activity.His work has been featured in various magazines and anthologies. A regular contributor to the websites ABCtales.com, Poetry24, and UKAuthors.co.uk, he was ‘Writer of the Month’ on the latter in December 2005.

Book preview

REFLECTIONS

a poetry collection

by

Luigi Pagano

Copyright © 2008 Luigi Pagano

Smashwords edition

First Published 2008 by

I*D BOOKS, Connah’Quay Library,

Connah’Quay ,Deeside,

Flintshire, CH8 7TQ.

ISBN 978-1-905373-04-8

All Rights Reserved

Front Cover: from an original painting by Frederick Hagley

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photocopying or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

Remembrance

Earth to earth.

Stone upon stone.

Weeping eyes

amid the weeping willows.

A multitude

surrounds me

but I feel alone

as the priest

asks for forgiveness

in your name,

that you should

be absolved

of the sins of the flesh,

the rage, the lust.

The ones left behind

grieve as you depart

but with a certainty

in their heart

that you are heading

for a better life.

And yet,

and yet…

some doubts remain.

What will your destination be?

Nirvana, Shangri-La,

Paradise?

Will your soul rise

or will your legacy be

just a handful of dust?

In Search Of Inspiration

I scoured the A to Z trying to find

the house where the Muse is kept

and discovered that it was behind

the old Victorian Baths, to the left.

I had expected a grand residence

and not a tumbledown maisonette.

I approached it with some diffidence

wondering what welcome I’d get.

I admit that the place wasn’t great

and didn’t look fit enough to be let

but even with the house in such a state

one has to follow the proper etiquette.

I was not summoned to her presence

because I had not given prior notice.

It was due to my own incompetence

that I was made to look like a novice.

One must not succumb to temptation

and call on the Muse out of the blue.

If you are ever in need of inspiration

patiently wait for her to visit you.

Abacus

The clock keeps more than time,

counts more than hours;

it isn’t only a measuring instrument,

periodically wound up and kept in motion

by springs or weights acting upon wheels:

it is the abacus of our mortality.

Its ticks and tocks the beads that run on wires

to add or to subtract from life’s tally.

Each swing of the pendulum

an entry in the human ledger;

for every debit, a corresponding credit.

And when the ticking stops

we will be called to account

and it will be time

to draw up the balance sheet

of our existence.

4:30

4:30. This number

appears on the LCD screen

of my digital clock,

disrupting my slumber.

It is an unwelcome