Poem by Miltos Sachtouris
THE NEGLECTED
III
The neglected one extends her white hand
as she takes a colourful piece of glass and sings
“I call you not in my dream
but among these colourful fragments of broken glass
but you always leave
now, yes, your face truly scares me
and as I join these pieces of glass
I can’t see you whole
sometimes I put together only your head
among all the other wild heads
which alienate me
other times I put together your beloved body
among a thousand other mutilated bodies
other times just your blessed hand
among the thousands of other extended hands
which torment my legs under my dresses
they tie my eyes with their black kerchiefs
they order me to walk without turning my head
back
to see your eyes as they shatter.
Manolis Aligizakis 