In an Old Book
In an old book, about a hundred years old,
forgotten amid its pages,
I found an unsigned watercolour.
It must have been the work of a good artist.
It had the title, “Presentation of Love.”
But a more fitting title would be “Love of the extremely sensual.”
Because it was obvious when you looked at the piece
(the artist’s idea was easily felt)
that the young man in the picture
was not meant for those who love
in somewhat healthy ways,
and within accepted boundaries,
with his deep brown eyes,
and the extraordinary beauty of his face,
the beauty of his deviate attractions,
with his ideal lips that grace
a beloved body with sensual delight
with his ideal lips made for beds
common morality calls shameless.
Manolis Aligizakis 