JOHN KANTAKOUZINOS TRIUMPHS

He looks at the fields that he still controls

with the wheat, with the animals, with

fruit-trees. And farther on, his family home,

full of clothes and fine furniture, and silver.

They will take it all—Jesus Christ!—they will take it all now.

Would Kantakouzinos feel sorry for him

if he were to go and prostrate himself. People say that he is merciful,

quite merciful. But what about the people around him? What about the army?—Or, should he plead, and cry in front of Lady Irene?

Foolish! To be involved in Anna’s party—

he wishes Andronikos had never married her.

Have we seen any progress as a result

of her behavior, or any humanity?

Even the Franks don’t respect her anymore.

Her plans were ridiculous, and all her preparation.

While they spread fear from Constantinople to the world

Kantakouzinos crushed them, King John crushed them.

And he had in his mind to go with King John all along!

He would have done it too. Now he would have been happy,

a great Lord always secure,

if at the last moment the bishop hadn’t swayed him,

with his priestly authority,

with his misinformation from beginning to end

and with his promises, and his stupidities.

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Duality

And I laughed at the comedian’s joke

as if grabbing onto the ship’s handrail

that I wouldn’t fall into the abysmal

mouth of the monstrous logic

many men appeared hungry for my flesh 

easy it was to talk to the inexplicable

when suddenly I felt the fangs

of the inexorable clock ticking

their strange hymn lamenting

my descent to Erebus, where

I was greeted by family members and after

my uncle Antony’s funeral

we all walked to the proper celebration

surprising them all as I too attended

and they all understood the meaning

of the eagle flying over us as if to confirm

on this earth and under it that we once existed

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Silence

When people turned deaf you understood

that they had finally learned the truth or at least

they had touched that secret pride

not to repeat the well-memorized lie

In the evening they sit in the dark inside the house

having both their feet in a earthen basin

with warm water and listening to the old train

going by on time loaded with barrels

sacks of cement re-bar fridges soldiers

and a gigantic whale cut in even pieces

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