Humble Ode They have no voice: things that return to their sleep, their eyes bloodied by time insignificant shipwrecks in the bottom of color, rise now in a multitude of colors. However, I am dead since my birth, already dead, talking to you: monsters that frighten me with death I know you harmless house pets you willingly become crumbs in a myth you don’t have history, and you scold the agony of people and their spontaneous love. Cheap shadows, excrements of wild imagination what do you seek in a causeless world? Indifferent, homeless cowards what do we seek in the horrible deserts of our vision?
FIRST VERSES I like to read your letter over and cry and with my eyes lingering on every line to see you still warm, still remembering when we said we’d be forever one, remembering the days we ran with one another to where nightingales sang seductively the day that I remember when you said I feel an ache here in my heart before the cough arrived to stop your words
…that rumour either—in fact Caitlin thought she would more quickly believe the other—and she was annoyed that Caitlin might be about to ridicule religion as she had ridiculed Padraig. “No, it doesn’t make me laugh,” Caitlin said earnestly. “It happens to be true. I’m joining the Church.” Nora turned and looked in disbelief at Caitlin. Her face showed her astonishment, but as the truth of Caitlin’s words became apparent, Nora broke into a radiant smile, and her eyes lit up with a joy such as Caitlin had never seen before. “Oh Caitlin,” Nora cried, grasping Caitlin by the shoulders and staring into her eyes in rapture. “I can’t believe it has happened. I’ve so much longed and prayed for this day.” She leaned toward Caitlin and hugged her tightly as tears glimmered in her eyes. She straightened up, dropped her hands into the lap of her pink summer dress and asked, “When did you reach this momentous decision?” “It’s something that developed gradually and not without a lot of heart-searching,” Caitlin said. “I think it was Joe-Joe Carney’s illness that started it.” Nora looked serious again. “That incident with young Joe-Joe did Padraig a lot of good in the village. He needed that miracle badly. A lot of people were not at all happy about Padraig coming back among them as their priest and confessor. They remembered his background and they didn’t trust him.” Nora paused and glanced awkwardly at her hands. “You won’t be angry if I say something personal?” “No.” “These latest rumours of an affair between you and him are destroying all the goodwill Padraig earned from Joe-Joe’s recovery. People are saying unkind things about him again and gaining credence. You have to let it be known what’s happening, Caitlin. For Padraig’s sake.” “Another miracle for the Father,” Caitlin said with an edge of sarcasm. “Very well, Nora, you have my permission, as not just my twin sister, but as my closest friend in this village of spite and vindictiveness, to broadcast the truth. Caitlin MacLir has accepted the One True Faith.” “Does Daddy know?” “I haven’t actually told him in so many words,” Caitlin replied, while a guilty shadow flittered across her face. “But he knows.” “Or just suspects.” “No. I believe he knows what’s going on.”
Absence I shall keep your absence alive during the moments I search for something imaginary or real when, in vain, I try to locate your absence in the crevasse of my mind where it takes flesh and blood and begs me never to deny it
Encouraging Biztató My grayness melted into fresh death gleaming, churches on fire, the city smokes, my face is still of blood steaming, and the years have left me in the image stocks.
Who brought me the worldly corruption twist? the smell of death penetrated my wrist, – my days keep the fresh swearing, like a newborn keeps the stale air in. Sometimes the summer took advantage of me, winters came at me
its rainbows sat next to my doubts, you had to listen, there was a seal on my mouth, you see, this is how my evening tried to find the way out. I ran away although I was a coward
the landscape is silent, the dead rest in wilt, they left no mark on morals, although a wraith writhed in guilt. You’re closer to blood than a kiss of chastity
a man with a glassy face thought of a rhyme,
I ask for Samson’s strength for the reality, because this is how the immune system encouraged mine. Living a hermit life in the desert keeps me well, where the coastal cacti hug to survive, as the handsome heart got a spell, which the crystal cortex has kept alive.
He was afraid. He was afraid of hearing “no,” and that answer rupturing the wonderful relationship and the good thing that they have going. Yet, he felt that he needed more. More of Cindy. He couldn’t get this wonderful woman out of his mind. Anticipating some of the barriers, Joel already knew that getting Lila to school would be a problem. Living in town, the elementary school was only a short ten-minute walk from her home. Out here, the bus ride would take nearly an hour each way to get to the closest school at Fort Hope. And what about Cindy’s job at the auction mart? With Great Falls being hours away it just didn’t make sense for her to travel to work from the ranch. And what about the loneliness? Sure, there was a few other ranch families scattered through the hills, but there wasn’t anywhere near the kind of active social life here that one would have in the city. He only could think of the barriers, and for that reason, he decided not to jeopardize the relationship by asking her to join him on the ranch. But he also was afraid that if he didn’t step their relationship up to the next level that sooner or later some city guy would discover the leggy, attractive, and intelligent blonde. And then who knew what might happen. It was in this state of confusion that Joel lay there in his bed as Cindy dressed for the drive home at the end of the day. Slipping into his jeans once Cindy was ready to leave, he walked her out to her truck and stood there in his Wranglers, watching the taillights of her vehicle disappear into the hills heading back to Great Falls.
Grease He has eaten tablespoons of grease a lifetime under the hood of cars to change oil, lubricate, maintain people’s cars, to earn a living, enough to enjoy his favorite drink at the neighborhood pub, a small local bar, small things, small rewards, the auto mechanic tied to a short rope his dad once said, “Learn a trade one day it might come to your help” and Basil with his rachitic back still stoops under the hood of old cars screwing or unscrewing nuts or bolts sighs or groans constantly heard where fate has thrown him to live his simple life patiently and still recall when he started back then, a young man optimistic about his future, only to understand that for some future meant subsistence while others sleep in their satin sheets and stretch their limbs as if this privilege was only theirs
“I don’t feel comfortable talking to Mrs. Shaughnessy. I think she pushed Curly into doing something she didn’t want to do.” Nevertheless, the two nurses took the bus to the Shaughnessy home on Saturday afternoon. Curly’s mother greeted them at the door and ushered them into the sitting room. “You both look wonderful,” she said as they made themselves comfortable on the sofa across from her. “And Maureen, it’s so nice to see you again. Where have you been hiding?” Moe cast her eyes down and fidgeted with the crease in her slacks. “I haven’t been hiding, Mrs. Shaughnessy. I just haven’t felt comfortable coming around to see you.” Tyne glanced at their hostess and saw her eyes open wide. “Why ever not?” Tyne held her breath as she felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. What did Moe intend to say next? Maybe they should not have come. Oh God, don’t let her make a scene. Moe leaned slightly forward. “I’m sorry to say this, and forgive me if I’m wrong, but I thought you held it against us for what happened to Curl … Carol Ann.” The shock on Mrs. Shaughnessy’s face was evident. For a moment she stared at Moe, then she seemed to struggle to find her voice. “Oh, my dear girl, I did not hold anything against you … either one of you. Why should I? Carol Ann acted on her own, I knew that.” She looked down, fumbled for a handkerchief from her sleeve and brought it to her suddenly moist eyes. “I’m sorry if I treated you badly. I was embarrassed and ashamed. Such a thing had never happened in our family, and it was so dreadful in the eyes of the church.” She looked up, and Tyne saw that her lips were trembling. “Please forgive me for the way I acted. You were always such good friends to Carol Ann.” Tyne felt helpless in her compassion for the woman. She wanted to go to her and hug her, but she didn’t know how the older woman would react to such a display of emotion. Moe, however, had no such inhibitions. To Tyne’s surprise, she rose from the sofa and, going quickly to Curly’s mother, bent down and enveloped her in a full embrace. They clung together while Tyne watched through her tears. She dried her eyes and squeezed Moe’s hand as her friend resumed her seat. She hoped Moe knew how grateful she felt.
THE VIOLIN The light came and the young man recognized himself ~ D. Solomos
Their hands reversed your dress that excited their fantasy. In your royal gown they defiled you, the glorified, and they condemned you, the master. ~ V. Hugo In each child, in each dawn, the holy imagination is reborn ~Lenau
Day and night my mind became such a sea wave. Men of different races call me a gypsy; the gypsies call me of a different race the workers call me lazy the golden-hearted cry for me the revellers don’t want me the healthy called me invalid the invalid called me clown dreamers looked at me with strange eyes as if I started an improper, foreign dream as I pass the ghosts despise my body and like a curse…
Manolis Aligizakis 