Strange Longing For A Monday
by Sophia Argyris
36 pages, erbacce-press, UK
$7.00, 36 pages



Sophia Argyris, although a worldwide published writer, is surprisingly, only now releasing her first book of poems. This accomplishment is well overdue! The editors of Up the Staircase first became familiar with Sophia and her work a handful of years ago, where we instantly fell in love with her unique and well crafted poetry.  When starting Up the Staircase, we immediately thought of Sophia to set the bar of high quality work for our journal.  Sophia was our very first Featured Writer in March 2008, and since then she has been published in Up the Staircase numerous times. We welcome her and her work always.

In this collection published by erbacce-press, Strange Longing For A Monday, it is easy to see the honesty and the brittle truth that presents itself in her poems. These poems are aimed with movement, structure, and delicacy, and tip toe quietly across the page. Somewhere in the translation from the eyes to the soul her work musters up the energy and force that wrecks what feeling is inside of you, it unsettles you for a moment, and then you remember, yes...it is just a poem, although Sophia Argyris is never just a writer.

I purchased a copy of Strange Longing For A Monday a short while ago, but the copy is already worn from use. It is a collection that I have carried with me from place to place, from sunrise to sunset; it is a collection that allows me escape from my own emotions, and into a quiet intensity and reflection, in hopes that I may feel some sense of peace and renewal after the uprooting. These poems are giant crashing buildings, words that tear away all the debris in order to allow for the rebuilding of self - a sort of transcendence.  The following poem is the perfect example of this:

In Looking North

Truth. I've held it now and then; fragile,
easily warped or lost, shattered to brittle
fragments and scattered. My hands
empty once again, only skin left to touch
with skin, to remind myself of reality. Sharpened
clarity can catch a moment, affirmation of
existence, breath sweeping in, enlarging
leaving in a swoop, always returning.

Even in this bloated city, dirt and
colours harsh to the point of cruelty,
I conjure up the beach embody purity
ocean hushing the sky, now muted and sinking,
air peaked with a touch of coldness
to keep me from fluing yoo far to the distance.
A wish lulled by the water, longing no longer.
Standstill-sand-no desire-truth in hand
I aim my voice to the horizon.

We highly recommend this book to anyone seeking high quality, thoughtful poetry, that elegantly transcends its reader to a place of honesty, to a place of truth.  Sophia's first collection showcases her raw ability and talent.  It is a collection, as I said before, that is long overdue, but I feel, well worth the wait.

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You can buy Strange Longing for a Monday at erbacce-press.

Sophia Argyris was born in Belgium, spent most of her childhood in the north of Scotland, and now lives in London.  Her poetry has appeared in many print and online magazines, as well as some anthologies.