A Message to Telémakhos

for Alex Dimitrov

Among the unwelcome and shameless,
I am one - a lord of rocky Ithaka, at that,
come to woo and come to feast.
These men are not my friends,
yet we share a common desire.
It breaks me to see you each day
with sad heart and your father's eyes
in this throng of arrogant wastrels -
peacocking and dulled by gluttony.
These three years you have grown
so lovely, in need of a guardian no more,
that I am struck with wonder.
The houseboys mixing bowls of water
and wine no longer fulfill me,
...