© 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