The glorious colonel
—disguised as a future legend—
skulks in a musty cave, dispatching
urgent orders to his retreating army.
His killer squad with black hair,
long beards and knives blunt
from many years of senseless killings,
are furious to a man. They’ve never earned a single piastre for their many years of loyal service and for this injustice, a sailor has to die. The town policeman —asleep in a hut nearby— dreamt of the young man’s death but he was shackled to his iron mattress by cowardice and fear.
Wisps of matted flaxen hair
and pools of congealed blood
stain the tarmac and a crow sitting on the left shoulder of the moon with a black brush and an easel paints the sailor’s death mask.
Schools of fish are
drowning in his glazed eyes,
worms and maggots crawl
in his gaping mouth and a red boulder rests beside his temple.
Whispers sprouted in the streets.
Some said the sailor betrayed the revolution
but everyone in the town knew, the soldiers
killed the boy for his flaxen hair.
A few words about the poem…
Cyprus Poems: The Horrific Consequences of Fratricide and Civil War
"A Sailor Has to Die" depicts the murder of a young sailor during a time of revolution and conflict. However, on a deeper level, the death poem, part of the collection Cyprus Poems, explores the themes of otherness, alienation, and discrimination.
The murdered sailor is described as having flaxen hair, in contrast to the dark-haired soldiers who kill him. This physical difference serves as a symbol of the ways in which people who do not fit in with societal norms are often targeted and ostracized by others.
The poem suggests that the sailor's hair colour is the reason for his death, His death highlights the senseless violence and discrimination that can occur when people are divided based on arbitrary physical characteristics or societal norms.
Through vivid imagery, the poem portrays the aftermath of the sailor's death, emphasizing the horror and brutality of his murder. The town policeman's cowardice and fear further highlight the complicity of those who stand by and allow such violence to occur.
"A Sailor Has to Die" is a commentary on the ways in which people who do not conform to what society accepts as normal are often targeted and victimized. It highlights the need for empathy and understanding, as well as the dangers of blindly following societal norms and perpetuating violence against those who are perceived as different.
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