Eithela Na Sou Po*

The wind blowing sideways through the terrace
scatters the stars as they battle for my attention —
I count only two standing.
I wanted to tell you this tonight.

I fell for you in Greece. You weren’t even here.
Azure is here, impatient fig trees are here —
unreliable ferries, overripe teenage girls,
annoying motorbikes, crying cats, empty tavernas.

Should I extend my leave another stanza?
Think hard about how you’ll respond.
I’ve been meaning to show you this shuffling sky,
but you’re there in that sad city I left behind.

I must be the only man writing in this world,
the one person breathing without electronics,
creating constancy under an unrelenting moon.
Agapi, I just wanted to tell you.



*I Wanted to Tell You