From Correspondence with My Greeks, by Scott Cairns, published by Slant Books. Copyright © 2024. Used with permission.
LOVE’S FOOL
After Μανόλης Πρατικάκης
No, the way you see it is not quite
the way to see it. Yes, the fool glows. Love’s fool
sits positively luminous there dwarfed by his
sad throne woven of flax and varicolored weeds.
Look! Naïve, grinning, affectionate, and largely
without fear! His dim wits are his greatest defense
against the cruelties that would assault him, those
same cruelties that assault us all, in turn, at every turn.
And, yes, on occasion, his dim wits prove
insufficient against sudden sadness and despair,
but he has only to remember the oblivious object
of his love, and has only to remember the rare
moment when the object of his love turned to him,
smiled, raised one perfect hand to his glistening cheek.
