Alone I governed my sorrow,
Alone I colonized the abandoned month of May
Alone I swelled the fragrances
On fields in halcyon days,
Fed yellow to the flowers, herded the hills,
Shot red into the wilderness!
I said: the stab wound will not be deeper than the wounded cry,
And I said: Injustice will not be more venerable than blood!
The hand of earthquakes, the hand of famines,
The hand of foes and kin
Raged, destroyed, devastated, annihilated
Once and twice and three times over
Betrayed, I remained on the plain, alone,
The message I raised I endured alone!

Alone I discouraged death, Alone I bit into Time with teeth of stone,
Alone I set off on the long journey
Like the trumpet's call through the skies.
Nemesis, stell and fraud were in my power,
I could have marched on with a cloud of dust and armaments.
I said: I'll compete with with only the sword of cold waters,
And I said: I'll strike out with only the Stainless of my mind!
In spite of earthquakes, in spite of famines,
in spite of foes and kin,
I stood my ground, I held my own, I grew in spirit, grew in strength
Once and twice and three times over
I built the halo and crowned myself, alone,
The wheat I heralded I reaped alone!

Odysseus Elytis

Dedication:

I dedicate this poem to my Brother-In-Arms, Markos Karagiorgis BS, MS, PhD, a.k.a. Markos The Destroyer who was born on May 11, the deadliest day in Tornado history.

Remulus of Arabia