III
from The Lady of Syros
Summary
Dead yet desired by the man who kept on digging
the archaeologist's laughter ripples down his chest at the sight of my foot
his laughter reaches the sun and the only star visible at this hour
He lifts me like a goatskin full of fresh water
looks me over from head to feet
62 centimetres long and 5 centimetres wide
marble chiseled in marble
wets me with saliva so he can see my original colour
dries me with his shirt-tail
is enraptured by the purity of my stone and how it resisted burial
fascinated by my narrow loins
by my unscathed limbs
a little clay and know-how will fill the two nicks in the groin and the right foot
Once the boat has left for the mainland
and Syros is given back to the jackals
he spreads a jute sack on the ground ready to spend the night in my company
Why does he ask me my name when my ears are sealed […]
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- A Handful of Blue EarthPoems by Vénus Khoury-Ghata, pp. 6 - 7Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2017