(excerpt)
“Mr. Kelly, please inform young Mr. Jonas of what your responsibilities are in this school. The director would like to hire the best person to replace you when you retire and between now and that time we’d like you to train the new man as best as you can on everything and anything pertaining to your job here. Mr. Jonas could be your replacement when you retire”
The old man firstly looked at Anton then at the nun. He scratched his head.
“Yes Sister Gladys, we’ll do the best we can.”
“You have about an hour, before the first recess…the rest can be done slowly day after day, provided the director hires this young man” then turning to Anton she added, “come and see me when done, father Nicolas will talk to you again.”
Anton nodded his agreement and Sister Gladys left him to Dylan Kelly, the old man who eyed him for a few seconds before he said, “let us go around the place so you can see what we deal with and I’ll fill you in with what I do here and I’ll answer your questions, shall we?”
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PRESENTS
Today I put on
the red warm blood
people love me today
a woman smiled at me
a girl gave me a conch
a boy gave me a hammer
today I kneel down onto the sidewalk
I nail the naked legs
of the passersby on the slabs
they’re all teary eyed
yet no one of them is scared
they’ve all stayed in places which I reached
they’re all teary eyed
yet they gaze at the neon signs up high
and the female beggar who sells Easter Bread
on the sky
two men whisper
what’s he doing? Is he nailing our hearts?
Yes, he’s nailing our hearts
for he’s the poet
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Arid field
The barren field
is flooded by the fire,
seedlings burn like scanty hairs,
earth’s chapped lips
remain silent,
only the trees in the distance
are trembling a few green notes.
ΑΓΟΝΗ ΓΗ
Άγονη γη
ηλιοκαμμένη
σπόροι, σαν αραιά μαλλιά, ξεραίνονται
καθώς της γης
τα σκασμένα χείλη
παραμένουν σιωπηλά
μόνο τα λίγα δέντρα στο βάθος
ψάλλουν μερικούς πράσινους στίχους
Μετάφραση Μανώλη Αλυγιζάκη//Translated by Manolis Aligizakis
Duan Guang, China
Soca
Calligraphic buttocks
sway under sun’s
auspices a bit to the left
a bit to the right down south
up north earthly grooving
sway of Eros stretching a golden
bow and aiming at lascivious
bodies with his arrow dipped
in fiery stark colors of lust
the street bounces in its
eagerness bending to the
soca tune rumbling like thunder
from speakers atop
the passing truck with
young men screaming something
about life being so beautiful
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Manolis Aligizakis 