Poem 2  by Adam Czarnowski

Below is a poem written by Adam Czarnowski, which he has kindly given me permission to reproduce. There are currently 18 others poems by Adam here:  Adam's poetry page. I hope that you enjoy these as much as I have. At the bottom of the page you may go poem 3 or poem 1      SJ

PHILOXENIA

I break your hearts with my burning winds and winding roads

I salve your soul with my sea and ringing water

I ditch your dumb ass with my driving and dirty roads

Across my whitewash and concrete I strew your laundry lady

Prick your ears with my plectrum and rembetika

Your eyes burning with Turkish tobacco and tsikoudhia

My kounoupia drink your blood intoxicated with xenophobia

Harsh my eyes judge

Judge your bleached and beached curves

Alone in the simpering and pampering

You watch the mountains of majesty bitten bare by cropping sheep and katsikakia

The cruel rocks lounging and sizzling in the swirling sea

Its a hedonism too erotic to be avoided by northern niceness

And so you succumb to the aching east

Burnt in your bedroom still sleeping on salt and sand

Out of your depth in the sea and

In the mountains

Captivated by the language and charmed by the kamakia

Every olive and oregano tasted dry against the damp of your salad

Sweated on dry straw seats and by peopled parched tables

Enslaved by the sons and sun of cruel and Christian Crete

Poem Number 1

Poem Number 3

COPYRIGHT: Adam Czarnowski 2001