The fortress: I roll out my mat
in the silence of sleeping cicadas
The wind is warm, time crawls
with the sun to Naples
It's all in my head
high above the noise of life
of crowded streets and shops
where the money never rolls far
looks are leery, kisses are fleeting
and hands are groping
It is not right
I start a storm
sweep chairs from the terraces
slam doors and blow dust
like night through the city
Guy-wires and bars rattle
a dog whines and a cat
glares at the perch
in the water of the harbour, wild
from my rebellious thoughts
that lie down after all
between the snails on my mat
The Fortétza (fortress) in Rétimno (Rethymno), April-May 1989
Collection “Blown sand”