Sad Erotes
an old precinct of Athens
Jena Woodhouse
They hover at sleep's portal with their undelivered
messages: a trust betrayed, the free dreams of a slave,
an old hetaera's tales.
All night they ride the tunnels of the underground,
charged with nocturnal energy
that dissipates with day,
and like somnambulists they roam
the hidden streets that dreamers take,
and entering arenas of unconsciousness,
direct the play
Jena Woodhouse is a poet and fiction writer whose publications include six poetry collections, an award-winning novella for children, a novel and a collection of short fiction. Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals in Australia and elsewhere, and has been shortlisted for major awards. For more than a decade she lived and worked in Greece, and has received creative residencies also in France, Scotland and Ireland, in addition to Greece.