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Poetry
by Chris Zachariou
United Kingdom


Τάκης Ζαχαρίου

Ποιήματα

Γιαλούσα, Κύπρος

Writer's pictureChris Zachariou

A Merciless Queen | Toxic Love


With a simple brush stroke,

the master painter builds for you

a castle of vast rooms with high

shelves all stacked with silent heads.

You always sought to live in such

a weird world of silence with a moat

of angry words around you.


Every time I come to you, you scream:

"There is no room for you in my inn."

But why do you leave your door

unlocked at night, can it be that you

really miss me and maybe neither of us

wants to be on our own tonight?


I devour with a poor man's hunger all

the poisoned words you shoot at me

each day from across the pond and gorge

on them with a rich man's greed.


Why did you summon me to your court today?

I was certain the next time you’d meet with me

would be where failed poets go for shelter.


Admittedly, my provocation

was thoughtless, I sinned against the meter!

Can you not forgive me though and pack me

off to art school in Vienna?

After all, you prescribed this for another.


Casualties are mounting high,

hostilities have never ceased and so far

you have refused all my offers of a truce.


Look out of your battlements, I'm on

my way riding an old steed, my armour

is getting rusty and the only gifts I bring

to you are the words of a jaded scribbler.

We both knew one day I would return

braving your moat and high walls.


You broadcast to the world I'm simply

an inconvenience, and that you are happy now.

My merciless young queen, I never had selfish

ambitions for you like that, I like you too much

to want to make you happy, and you know

how much alike we are, both blessed with sharp

wit and the precious gift of loneliness.


Part of the mosaics cycle of poems

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