Ákos
Might as well be daybreak
the big nets stringed with knots
the ropes, a rats nest of fingers
glass balls that floated the catch
the fishermen asleep under boats
who always shouted ven aquí guapo
we have sardines for breakfast
a dim grey beach stretched for miles
sand sprints against wind and memory
with old Ákos my Hungarian coach
ex-Olympian, ex-police chief, ex-prisoner
steely teeth, stories and stop-watch
who taught me how to win races
how I had to get underneath the wind
for I was a falcon too, in those complexities.
Hi Rob, did you know that "Akos" in Apache language is not a friendly word at all!! But as you know well, Apache people are great runners! And the ritual of daybreak is to run with the sun rising and to run with the waters of the earth and the wind ... I love the atmosphere and the way you make us see the scene in this little poem.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Béatrice. It's a fairly common Hungarian male given name, meaning a white falcon, a rather beautiful and swift little bird.
Deletethe falconer hears the falcon?
ReplyDeleteHa. Yes. He was a helluva track coach. He heard me.
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