THE ISLAND OF LOTUS EATERS

Situated among the waves of the sea, 

on the shore made of yellow sand

a gentle breeze, like sighs.

It seems like an eternal afternoon:

The people of the island feed on lotus flowers

that make them forget all their worldly cares.

If an imprudent traveller tastes the lotus,

he will lose the will to return to his homeland, 

and fall into a waking sleep forevermore.

[Based on Homer’s “Odyssey” and “The Dictionary of Imaginary Places” by Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi]