when it finds me
naked
walking around
it dresses me,
the rain,
with unbelievably shining
outfits
as I walk,
and places around me
mythical riches
sets
and decorations”
he now saunters to the “end”
among the crowds, music and popular joy
and mixes
becomes one with
the crowd
and feels
sometimes
like a king among his subjects
and other times
perhaps the same moment
like
an exiled ruler
among
strangers
and unfamiliar
people
Prophet
His prophetic pneuma, his sense of eternal freedom, the endlessly creative mind of the giant who stood before a catastrophe and saw decaying humanity. He sensed that a future benevolence appeared before his eyes, before his prophetic vision, while he had his eyes closed. He saw the new race of men and women who stood opposite the morality of humbleness and against the well-fed bellies of priests and deacons, and he saw the creators of immortal boys and girls. This was his epiphany and his fate: life played like a drama, like a historical stage show of the pneuma with its delirium and tragedy, with a catharsis from the first moment, he realized that it was his freedom to think and to create his immortal Übermensch
Altar
Our blood fiery red.
When the newborns climb up the golden hills and
autumn bestows its gifts
unto the naked rain knees
cactuses listen to
the unsuspecting footsteps of Abel.
Dawn readies its slaughter and
the evening sacrifice
sprinkles the door-posts of the west.
Suspicious Encounters
Perhaps he was an imaginary person, and for this reason, more
dangerous; I usually met him in the hallway or behind the hospital.
The first time he pretended he didn’t know me, John,” I said to him,
“Weren’t we hanged together?”— since then, I am of a different
than my true age
like what will shutter us is a detail that has gone unnoticed
and time will come when we’ll remember it.
Presidential Campaign
Well-covered presidential campaign
She said with a dry voice
Blonde media anchor
stirred uncomfortably
Latest debate results
about the winner and who’s
condemned to Purgatory
comedy of Erring parrots
repeating numbers
rigged convention
she said apologetically
baptizing the viewers in the cold
water of reality
newscast misinformed
the viewers of their collective
fortune to be citizens of the most
well-informed nation on earth
One More Chance
Your hand was on the car and you tried to stop me from leaving.
“Give us another chance” you kept on saying and I tasked you to let go of the car as I was ready to step on the gas.
I simply told you, I intended to give that chance only to myself.
And I drove away.
I didn’t regret it. I recalled of course all the events but I never regretted it.
I also asked for your forgiveness for a few things I believed I was wrong.
But I never regretted it.
I had to leave.
The next person in my life made me understand that I was unfair toward you regarding a few things.
One has to live something worse to finally understand.
Yet, I never regretted leaving. I left when I had to leave.
When something is wrong you need to find the strength and courage to leave.
And now, although it hurts, I’m gone.
I know I’ve done right.
No reason to stay in something you know isn’t what you want.
And compromise isn’t my thing.
Then the old man vanished
I don’t know where and when
he died or he ascended to
the heavens
and his companion eagle
also flew away from his side
and the violin, the most precious
treasure was left to me.
Play oh bow, play and
create a new world from
my hands in my two hands.
Oh a new race, oh you, new race
not the logos nor the song
not a sound from any mouth.
Only you exist, oh my violin
and there is only one tongue
and just one sound, yours,
which I, the player, create
and what creates the miracle
is none other but your music.
And if I’m a tree made
of chords and music
and nothing more, one sound
and one breath and one song
exist inside of me.
MORNING STAR
Oh lustful morning star
how you surrender to the day
in the inundation of light
before you blend and freshly
spread the footprints of the night.
And more than the moon you calm
the darkness while you shine in secret
like hope that with a mere caress
defeats the blackest thoughts.
Oh how alike to dreams you are,
double-edged and slowly fading, flickering, alas,
betrayed by night and even
by the day’s bright, ruthless light.
Mirrors
You left behind you
the mirrors into which you met
their ugliness, and the closed door
concealing their injustice,
once noticed.
Where do these animals go
why do they still breathe
what do they contribute to this beauty
save their excrements?
Do they deserve to live or
should they be helped
to do the honourable thing?
The mirrors into which you saw
their ugliness, you left next
to the boiling coffee pot,
next to the severed umbilical cord
as proof of the uncertainty
of future days.
Can you now connect
to the inglorious past,
during which
you dreamed to save
this world?
Pale Spirochaete*
The scientific books had well
prepared their blood thirsty images
the doubting girl who smiled secretly
beautiful the joy we received from her lips
our forehead shook softly, persistently
as we opened up that it would come in
the craziness in our heads and lock itself inside
and now our life becomes the strange, old story.
The logic and our emotions becomes luxury
burden we give to any sane person
we retain the impulse, our childish laughter
the instinct to rely onto the hands of God.
His creation is but an atrocious comedy
He, with the eternal good intention
managed to pull the curtain before our eyes
oh comedy, the awe, the dream, the smoke
and the girl I went with was beautiful
during that winter evening long ago, when
enigmatically laughing she gave me her lips
while seeing the fateful abyss closing in.
Manolis Aligizakis 