copyright 2010 by Ed Baker

the poems here-in have been in a different

form published in Butcher of Oxen and Other

oems! "oxie ress! 1#$0%

&O'(E'()
1% (he Bay of )t% aul
2% *ydra
+% ,omboloi
-% On (he .ay Back /rom efkos
0% 1indos! 2arch 1$! 1#3# +410 a%m%
3% (oo 1ong *ave .e Been .ith (he *ills
$% *egira
5 &amiros
#% 6 6nto 1ady 7stor8s 9rave
10% 7l:ays *ave 6 (aken
11% 7s 7thena

(he Bay of )t% aul
(hat 6 had come to ponder
the sounds of :ater there
is no doubt
but found rather
granite hills :hite :aves
the air filled :ith the sound of bees
:ith blue sky clouds :ith thunder
a deluge of rain
the isle aflame

)t% aul filled :ith the dance and blo:n sky

*ydra
6 think about the great river
forgetting the sun 6 suffer the sun
:ith birds that drift at the edge
:ith men :ho cast their nets
(hey came as 6 :as ga;ing at that sun
dressed 6 tell you dressed in :hite
skirts
as 6 :as ga;ing at my other continent
they
9reat )tones in the hills marked their dead
6t :as almost possible to remember other
9reeks
lit fires along the shore and on the point
marking nights
marking mid-nights
that flooded the earth! the air :ith light
stars that filled my mind as ships came
7nd they :ere strong ships
strong men :earing :hite skirts danced and sang and
counted
one! t:o three! four round beads


as their eyes :ent
they :ere guided
along the shore
men in skirts had come as fishermen :ho kne:
:ho kne: :ho they :ere
6 think about the river flo:ing
like the blood of men men
:ho have kno:n their fears4
cast their nets into the morning sun



,amboloi
.e sailed before that sun8s certain redness
to ne: places
:e :alked the :ooden planks of the Sevestiana
sailed into an Easterly
blo:n gulls in a :ind over-rode :aves
passing our fingers along the secret beads
as fishermen :e sailed and played
:ith beads :e played
:ith :ind
:ith song
:e danced and played
before that sun8s certain red
on our blue sea

On (he .ay Back /rom efkos
on the :ay back from efkos
it came to us
cities :e could almost remember
it came :ith the
rain
and our :alking
:ith a :ind that
cracked
our faces heroically
in the morning of our :alking
:e discovered our other country

1indos 2arch 1$! 1#3# +410 a%m%
from my :indo:
6 can smell the lemon
tree
6 can hear the ship8s
bell
6 listen to the rain drop
from the eaves of my house
:hat if 6
thin-blooded
as 6 am
sit out the :hole man

(oo 1ong *ave .e Been .ith (he *ills
too long have :e been :ith
the hills moving from rock to rock
from
rocks
to
clouds
infre<uently
are the
rocks
so
absorbing
the clouds
not at all interested
in our close
inspection
.e had :alked :ith those
hills at our backs
thinking that clouds = rocks
:ere everything
do:n the hills :e :ent do:n the hills
= round the hills until a
<uick rain caught >)
= :e finally t o u c h e d
*egira
:hen asked
tell them
simply
that :e had gone
the hills around efkos
that :e had been too long in
the rocks in the clouds in the sun
tell them
tell them
:ell
that it :as bells
that :e heard
the bells that :e packed the silences
= :ent
turning a hard-round )tone
bet:een our fingers

&amiros
that &ity
lying bet:een pope = emperor
on that Blue )ea
a flo:ering of violets along the
)hore
of 'arcissi
through this brief )pring
?there :ere *eroes buried in those *ills@
had :alked through Auins into Battles
/ire had turned their Eyes
= in their 9a;e :as another Beginning
in the hills beyond (he &ity poppies in the
.ind :ere dancing 6 (E11 BO>%%% dancingC
follo:ed (he sun
follo:ed the Aocks do:n to the )ea
(heir &ity a-ruin
:hile
the /lo:ers of "ancing
did &ommerce
:indo:-shopping in-side stone :alls
clay images of 7pelles undistributed
6ndifference the Aule the sounds of
goat8s bells their 2usic

? the prices :ent
up
the "rachma :orth less
the Excess :as stored in Omonia8s
vaults
? in the smiles of the &leaver Old 2en4
'Come into my shop, Lady
'I have many beautiful things
'Old Things New Things Mycenean
'Things
'cinnaba amphoa lace pefume ouge !!!
'" fo you Lady
'special pice
'desses that my siste ma#es
'sweates bags pottey I have
'best pices in Camios
'Many beautiful things!'
a flo:ering of violets
at the edge of the sea
the rock8s gently slapping
the isle8s open drift

6 6nto (his 9rave
as 6 had come to breathe :ith eyes
:ith :ords the rocks $atula
your "elphic colors rested me
in evenings that shone through
fingers-in the grip = crevices
of your
dress splendidlyC
no bitter :ay the cover of your breasts
is spoken no lamentations
Dust raise
for the caution of your cover
as :e rode north
:ho shall messenger $atula

salutation8s kiss to 2elitaea

7l:ays *ave 6 (aken
into myself
let us say
because it pleased
:hy did 6 persist :hen
stones only paid attention
:inds through hills over-rolled
our touch our pleasure
until morning came and
:e found no :ay to stay