Odeh Kraskian - SPECTRUM

Yellow --
Like the rays of the sun
Touching golden wheat fields
On a hot summer day before harvest

Red --
Like a vintage wine
Gleaming in two goblets
Waiting for a toast to undying love

Blue --
Like the blue of your eyes
Deep and profound as the ocean
And high as boundless, cloudless skies

Green –

Born of yellow and blue --
Like a pristine, serene meadow
On an early morning in springtime
Herald of new birth, new start

And a second chance

The harmony and radiance

Of colors in nature
Are humbling…

Harbingers of peace and beauty
Yet to be heard by mankind --

As this chaotic rainbow

of mismatched colors

Thrashing around

In my mind…

Odeh Kraskian

Odeh Kraskian - WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

Just two days ago
A friend sent me a video
Of Louis Armstrong’s ode
To a wonderful world…

“What a Wonderful World”...

Wonderful… Is it, indeed…?
Or was it wonderful back then
When Louis was willing and
Ready to put his heart and soul
Into those lingering lyrics
And haunting melody?

Is it still “A Wonderful World”
When there is no longer room
On our crowded agendas
To “See trees of green” or
Or the “…red roses bloom”?

Is it still “A Wonderful World”
When there is no longer a longing
For the warmth of a loved one’s
“Where have you been…?”
Or “I missed you”?

It seems like it’s true --
The world does not seem
To be the same old place today,
As old Louis said it was… Yet,
Right on time, the trees still turn
Green each and every springtime
And the roses still bloom…

****

Have you ever heard
Good old Armstrong sing
“What a wonderful world”? No?
You don’t know what you’re missing!
Go, have a listen to it! Step out
Singing and greet the green trees
And Smell the blooming roses…

It still is, every bit,
A wonderful, baffling world --
With or without you in it.


Odeh Kraskian
2010

Odeh Kraskian - HE...

He is
Creative, strong,
Loyal, handsome,
Funny and full of wonder…
Yes he is!
He is all of that, and some...

He is also
An artist -- musician, photographer
And above and beyond all,
A great performer --
He made me believe he was
The best friend one ever would,
Or ever could have…

He prepared
His famous Indian food
For our last supper
Also one last espresso,
Which we both loved so
And mixed one last drink.

Stirred and shaken,
I smoked one last cigarette…
He asked me if I had
Any last wish left untold…

I left before he returned
With the blindfold.


Odeh Kraskian
2010

Odeh Kraskian - JOURNEY TO THE HUB ...

Boston.
A delightful place to be cold
in the winter. Boston.
Countless monuments clad
in red brick and a mantle
of history of threatened liberty.
Boston. Home of Celtic Patriots
wearing Red Socks…

Boston.
A fabulous place to be
for a refugee from cruelty. Boston.
A place where art corners you
at every turn disguised
as Harvard Square, Beacon Hill,
or as a gallery on Newbury Street…

Boston.
A stage where Brahms meets Bernstein
at Symphony Hall and sings of hope
with Beethoven.
Boston! An ode and abode for me
on my journey of life –
A delightful place
to enjoy the cold while waiting
a moment for the sun
to rise once more…

Boston.
My new love.
Hub of my new life.


Odeh Kraskian

Odeh Kraskian - THE NIGHT

They said " Beware of those who like the night ".
I am a night owl. I like the nighttime!
Like a huge dragon night gulps down half the world
Than the other half. And like a big black blanket
it covers the light.
Night is a bridge to tomorrows¦

Night is like Black Sea, mellow
Yet solemn and somber.
It's like a yawning, endless forest
Hazardous, mysterious, full of unrest.
Night is like black coffee,
Strong, heavy and acrid
Yet you cannot start your day without it.

It is like dark wine, pervading your veins
To make you feel vain.
Just like a dream, it's a figment of your brain.
Night is beautiful,
You can dream your dreams at night,
Plan your thoughts at night,
And organize your world at night.
The impossible becomes possible at night.

I love the night!


Odeh Kraskian

Odeh Kraskian - LET'S GO

Let’s Go
Let’s go watch the sun rise,
On a crisp, winter morning.
Let’s go taste the freshly baked croissant
At “Au Bon Pain” on the Square.
Let’s go sit on the beach,
And speak to the waves.
Let’s go smell the rain
On the asphalts of the North end.
Let’s go take arty pictures
In Quincy Market.
Let’s go play with the kids,
And be silly with them.
Let’s go on a walk along the Charles,
Where the joggers are jogging, bikers are biking,
Strollers are strolling and people are living…
Let’s go smell the roses,
In your back yard.
Let’s go, you and I, and look at the new moon
On a clear, starry sky.
Let’s go together…


Odeh Kraskian

Odeh Kraskian - YOU

At first sight I thought I knew you.
But who are you really?
Are you an object? A sordid something
on auction for the highest bid?
A thing to be bought and sold
in the blink of an eye…

Or, maybe a house? A stunning mansion
with no chimney.
A fireplace without a hearth.
A fine kitchen with no oven, or a bedroom
With no room for a bed…
You may be a yacht. A dazzling vessel
with no rudder or anchor.
A train lacking a locomotive.
An expensive car with recalls on its engine,
or maybe a bicycle with no breaks…
You might be a flower. A beautiful red rose
with bloody thorns
where moist petals should be.
Or simply a cactus in an arid desert…

You could very well be
an alcoholic drink, something
like Tequila of the cheapest brand --
the kind that bestows on you
the worst hang-over the next morning….

Whatever the reason, at the very first sight
I thought I knew you…

Now, in your darkness, I can see the light.


Odeh Kraskian