The evening star, have you noticed, sweat evening star looks like an eraser rubbing on the same spot as if erasing our mistake, which mistake? And you hear an imperceptible sound as the eraser goes back and forth over the mistake which isn’t erased. Tiny slivers of paper fall on the trees and sparkle. It’s a pleasant involvement and it doesn’t matter the mistake isn’t erased; the polite, persistent, the steady movement of the star is enough like the first and last concept-rhythm; heavenly energy, practical too like that of the loom and the verse the evening star stirs amid the cypresses golden shuttle between the long mourning threads one hiding our mistake and the other showing it not ours, mistake of the world, inherited mistake what was a mistake? Our birth or death? Have you noticed? The autumn evenings are beautiful, friendly they erase our guilt in a calm, general guilt and establish a secret friendship among us, a friendship of rhythm, yes, yes, exactly a rhythmical friendship, that’s it, it goes back and forth, birth-death, lust-dream, act-silence, it’s an exit, I’m saying to you, to the back side, the darker, straight to heaven.
A bunch of strange people come every night to find some warmth and consolation in her songs, those people who talk of their old, dead friends, as they are still there accompanying them and every so often they spill some wine on the floor, a libation to the irreversible end. Elias said to him, “Will you leave her alone?” “No”, the other said. Then Elias, being a smart man said to him: “if you love her get married to her, she’s all yours”. The other backed down. You see he wanted her for the bed scene not for his table; that was too much. Then Elias decided to marry her. God bless his soul. Elias dead for twenty years now and she relives each night with the insignificant eternal words. At that exact moment the man with bouzouki entered: he swears all day long that he’ll turn his life around but when night comes and the world becomes deeper and those distant voices with their deadly attraction are heard (where do they come from?) as if someone suddenly pushes him as he passes through the first tavern, (indeed he often was startled and turned to see who pushed him) he enters and starts to drink and drink and play for himself, endless hours, with foggy eyes, wrapped around his bouzouki as if fighting a demon. “Only Olga was good; this Hebrew and Asimina drink a lot and then they urinate in their cloths. Another one, Barbara, daughter of the Phanariotisa, when she drank her pants always fell then, come John, get the mop” (to help clean the floor of the tavern for some wine as payment).
Illumination In the darkness of your day the smile of a female youth I discovered and suddenly the spring appeared among the curled pine needles the sparrow’s chirp calling its mate that firstly I heard amid the thin foliage of the shrubs, echo of soothing raindrops, reminded me the meditative whisper I felt in the Blind Boy and The Kiss by Brancusi which I encountered in your Museum’s prudent display Craiova, city of the ascetic and pulsing vein of the anchorite you’ve functioned in the boy’s sweet cry and in the cradle of civilization proud female smiling youth with optimism the future you invite Craiova, artistic city of Romania my path to illumination you’ve underscored
VII something vague gave birth to me even if they told me I was born in the sunshine. small in passion and in sorrow I walk toward something light that will be life and I stop… I return…death. I count time with what I’ve lived and what is forthcoming that resembles the incomparable end. only, look, the craft and the fisherman can’t be separated from the blue
PARABLE The morning star can never shine as you when you appear, joy-giving lass nor does the green clover have as much as you have freshness on your sweetened lips nor do the flowers of narcissus have such fragrance as your lightest breath nor does the bird know how to sing such sweet songs as your inventive lips. One only it can’t learn—to sing I love you— and for this, I dare to say, another soul may die.
Requiem The day looks upon its face in the crystal river as gray dawn crawls closer whispered promise of fresh daybreak and life schemes to follow symbol her brood of twelve herald diagnosis our wretched dog hunts for the symbol to hide your fear in its belly and fetch peace from chiaroscuro dawn vapors relent fouling from cheap alcohol swirling in your guts…
Young birch forests came out from movie theaters, the grocery stores were full of wild fruits and mustard eggs. A satin castle resting on Doric columns was erected by the pine trees on the boulevard. In the middle of the marketplace oaks set up a monument honouring the shadowless, rainy season. Everything was available in the intoxicating air of the conifers, and white rabbits somersaulted on the magic carpet of the floating meadows.
…back for a while; his thoughts travel to his good, old friend in Baghdad. Ibrahim has done well with this young man; he has brought him up the right way. It’s no wonder the old man is so proud of Hakim. It’s no wonder that he sees him as a real son; he even calls him his son. He gets the check and goes out to find a taxi to take him to the Sheraton. The rest of this weekend is going to be smooth and pleasant for Bevan Longhorn.He may even sleep in peace tonight since he knows everything is coming together nicely for his exit strategy. His plan is unfolding like clear spring water running slowly down to freshen up the roots of the delicate vegetables and flowers.
Monday has gone by slowly but steadily, as if time learned to go by unnoticed, like a well-tuned machine with gears grasping everyone in between them, stretching and pulling to the point of being ready to snap. Hakim and Jennifer spent their Monday getting ready for their move. She took the day off and did the packing of things one does last; Hakim also stayed home and together they organized the details of the actual move. Today, Talal has come to help them. He’s the one who’ll get the rental truck. Emily is there as well, doing what is necessary to help Jennifer with the kitchen items, since men do not always do things the best way in a woman’s eyes when it comes to the kitchen. Ahmed has gone with Talal to get the truck. “I’ll get the stuff tomorrow,” Ahmed says. “You got it, already?” asks Hakim. “No but it’s ready; it’s just a matter of going for it.” “Alright, now be careful. Who are these guys?” “Leave that to me. Don’t worry about who they are or why they are doing this; leave that to me.” They get the truck and Talal drives it back to Hakim’s apartment. They start putting things in one by one and Jennifer and Emily tell them where to position them in the truck. It takes about an hour and they are ready to go to Emily’s for the rest of the things. Once they finish there, they drive to the new place and move everything upstairs. One elevator has been reserved for them and that makes work a lot easier. By two in the afternoon, they are done; the only thing left to do is to put together the bed and put away the kitchen things, while Talal and Ahmed return the truck to the rental company. When all that is done and Talal comes back with Ahmed, Hakim orders a couple of pizzas and they sit around and enjoy the food. The weather had given them a break with sunny periods throughout the day, and while it’s late in the afternoon, there is still plenty of brightness, and one can see the beauty of the view to the west toward the Pacific Ocean.
More and more cars foreign investments increase more and more people emigrate newspapers report the country entered a new phase of economic development while maintaining its cultural ideals. Inherited ideals always matching the new police enforcement.
Manolis Aligizakis 