publishing poetry only
 


Monday's Poem


© 2012 Manolis Aligizakis

Daybreak

You always get up first
light rustle of bed-sheet
you walk to the bathroom

I stretch my leg to feel your warmth
outline of your missing body
I feel your heartbeat

pulsing smoothly on the sheet
that covered your body all night long
rhythm in harmony with mine

I hear you brushing
your teeth
your hair
your slow steps back to bed

waiting for me to open my eyes
like that first time
in that cheap hotel years ago

they must have demolished it by now
to build a newer and higher building

and when I pretend to wake up
like that first time you whisper

I love you



 


Manolis Aligizakis was born in the small village Kolibari west of Chania on the Greek island of Crete in 1947. At a young age his family moved first to Thessaloniki and then to Athens where he was educated, achieving a Bachelor's Degree in Political Sciences at the Panteion University of Athens. He served in the armed forces for two years, and emigrated to Vancouver in 1973, where he worked in several different jobs over the years. He attended Simon Fraser University for a year, taking English Literature in a non-degree program. He has written three novels, a large number of collections of poetry, which are slowly appearing as published works, various articles and short stories in Greek as well as in English. After working as an iron worker, train labourer, taxi driver, and stock broker, he now lives in White Rock where he spends his time writing, gardening, and traveling. Towards the end of 2006 he founded Libros Libertad, an unorthodox and independent publishing company in Surrey BC with the goal of publishing literary books.

www.libroslibertad.ca