A REBÉTIKO FOR FRANS VAN HASSELT Poem by Maria van Daalen

this morning I stood in the empty kitchen
and cleared up things before I went away

there was half a bottle of olive oil left and 1 lemon
that is too much lemon

yorgos the cat jumped on the sill
and looked at me with amber-coloured eyes
an odourous fish head is the sweetest
the colours of the sky are the colours of the sea
and the rain vaporises before meeting the street

I didn't finish the retsina bottle
I didn't clean the knife from Crete

the bouzouki player sang: where does love go to when it disappears
and I hummed along with the soft melody

perhaps tonight Kim has gone dancing with that young man from the bar
perhaps at full moon although Greeks don't care about that

there was half a bottle of virgin olive oil left and 1 lemon
that is too much lemon

where does love go to when she disappears
the gate does close the gateway not the look