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Jeff Gaines May 2018
(Translation found below in notes)


Those eyes, those eyes…
Ne plus ultra …
I just knew that I'd seen them before.

Those eyes, those eyes …  
stopped my mind in it's tracks … like a ship that had ran ashore.

Those eyes, those eyes …
Sui generis …
Innocent, soothing, sublime.

Those eyes, those eyes …
They startled me … that moment they first gazed into mine.

Those eyes, those eyes…
Nonpareil …
throughout thee entire world.

Those eyes, those eyes …
like the moon so bright … or a magnificent flag unfurled.

Those eyes, those eyes …
Suaviter et dulce …
The eyes of a timeless friend.

Those eyes, those eyes …
they will find my soul … oh yes, yet again.

Those eyes, those eyes …
Coelo missus …
as I'm sure that thee angels chose.

Those eyes, those eyes …
sadly missed these days … except when mine are closed.

Those eyes … they shimmer …
just as my beloved Gulf in the summertime … a brilliant, beautiful green.

Those eyes… adorned with orange flecks …
like sapphires, adrift in those waves … are truly a site to be seen.
This piece composed itself over a 7 year span and came to fruition in October-November of 2017. Trying to write about someones eyes without sounding romantic/mushy is an uphill battle indeed. Try it, I DARE you!
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Ok, here is your Latin lesson for today:
**NE PLUS ULTRA**

noun: ne plus ultra
The perfect or most extreme example of its kind; the ultimate.
"he became the ne plus ultra of bebop trombonists"
synonyms: last word, ultimate, perfect example, height, acme, zenith, epitome, quintessence.

Origin : from Latin. Literally ‘not further beyond,’ the supposed inscription on the Pillars of Hercules prohibiting passage by ships.
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**SUI GENERIS**

adjective: sui generis
Unique.
"the sui generis nature of animals"

Origin : Latin, literally ‘of its own kind.’
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**NON PARIEL**

adjective: non-pareil
Having no match or equal; unrivaled.
"he is a nonpareil storyteller"
synonyms: incomparable, matchless, unrivaled
noun: non-pareild, unparalleled, unequaled, peerless, beyond compare, second to none, unsurpassed, unbeatable, inimitable

An unrivaled or matchless person or thing.

Origin : Late Middle English: from French, from non- ‘not’ + pareil ‘equal’ (from popular Latin pariculus, diminutive of Latin par ‘equal’).
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**"SUAVITER ET DULCE"**
Translated from Latin: "Gentle and sweet"
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**COELO MISSUS"**
Translated from Latin: "Heaven sent"
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Say what you will about Latin. If I had written this using the English translations instead of the Latin, it would have NEVER been as good.
Martin Mikelberg Dec 2017
the atheist billboard
in Times Square
unbelievable
An example of irony in poetry
Storm Oct 2016
lights flashing through the city and polluting the air,
car horns honking and people colliding with your shoulder.
billboards flashing advertisements for the crowds below:
‘get a coke! stop by olive garden! try this phone service!’
and surrounding those screens, posters for the theater.
wicked, lion king, hamilton, and more
go to west 46th street and fight the crowd,
feel the excitement, hear the orchestra, touch the souvenirs,
let even a native new yorker become a tourist for one day
take your seat, admire the view, take some pictures,
listen to the ushers, watch the crowd settle, straighten as the lights dim.
everyone in places--it’s showtime.
AM Apr 2016
whenever he walks through the door,
he makes the room lit brighter than the times square
and I am a tiny girl with her sweater and big dreams
captivated by his billboard-flashy-smile

— The End —