In Alexandria (31 B.C.)
From his small town, close to the suburbs
and still full of dust from the trip
the travelling salesman arrives. And “Frankincense” and “Gum!”
“The Finest Olive Oil!” “Fragrance for your Hair!”
He cries out on the streets. But the big noise of people,
and the music and the parades won’t let him be heard.
The crowd pushes him, pulls him along, hits him.
And when finally, totally dazed, he asks, what madness is this?
Someone throws at him the gigantic lie
of the palace, that Anthony triumphs in Greece.
Manolis Aligizakis 