Keep Ithaca in your
mind, audacious sailor,
for if the long
stretches of horizon
from port of call to
port of call
draw dreams and sighs
alike
for if the destination
is hazy
as a distant
phlogistoned oasis
only a blink of an eye
exists
between you and beloved
Ithaca
Many before you have
flocked to see her shine
to drown their senses
in whirlwinds of spices,
many have thought her
worthy of a sacrifice
and a promise which
tides tried to break.
Remember people have
died for Ithaca
knowing they should
never come back.
Ithaca has become a
name more enduring
than the
Laistrygonians',
more legendary than the
Cyclops'.
Flatten then the map
with the palm of your hand
mark the place with a
red cross like a treasure
remember that history,
sailing and writing
are always achieved at
an angle
the pen aslant across
the lines
as if bent by the wind
as the ship unyielding
through tempests
men carving unmatched
paths on the sea
wild things of straw
and bones in a firestorm
Remember Ithaca's taste
of savoury figs
her smell of dark
incense, her sound of oud
the touch of her dark,
velvety skin
Remember Ithaca dwells
on dreams
feeds on departures and
arrivals at break of day
remember Ithaca
harbours adventures the mind yearns for
remember Ithaca because
one day, audacious sailor,
she will greet you like
her conquered king
and you shall forget
every other Ithaca.
