The Warriors Of August-Sakis Athanasiadis (Translation: Eva Johanos) Poem by sakis athanasiadis Grecce

The warriors of August

In summers I walk far from the voices
of the people who slap the sea
I erase from my mind
the black skin of August
the beautiful bodies that cry out
I have the key of your paradise
come take it
because I will believe that my passionate loves
needed their own sunscreen
in order to not be destroyed in the sun
I run far away from the warriors of the water
I bloody my feet on the soil
I return there where I was born in the north
to find light beneath to moon
to find water to refresh the eyes
my feet after hours
to remember the difficult roads
to take me on paths where I had not walked
to stopped wagons that rust
on the borders of civilization
And when I return again to my sea
the river will have passed into my veins
and the wind will still be arguing
with the whites of my eyes
I will ask nothing of the first rain
the waves will be speaking loudly ~ she will not hear me
the naked bodies surely will not be there
as soon as a star falls on their pillow
they will try out the next summer in their mirror
Sakis Athanasiadis
(translation: Eva Johanos)