Gargantua

Depression discovered me as I walked, as I walked
To the bus. A giant with legs as short as mine
Crawled between my knees and asked for the time.

Why! You silly little thing I shouted, how is it
That you are so small, yet tower over me? Why
Am I so frightened? You are a fantasy. You belong
To the French and treasure born from imaginary sand.
Are you real?

This question confused the giant with legs
As short as mine. You’ve created me, silly thing,
He said, you nurse me all of the time. The giant
Then made himself just as tall as me and unbuttoned
My shirt and removed my breast. My man’s breast
Was a woman’s breast. You silly thing, he said and began,

He began to suckle at my teet. The milk was red.
My teet was sore. I begged him to stop. He would not let up.
He grew larger in size. He was a giant after all. His shadow befell me.
Have I lost my head? I asked the world. But the world was not there.

He said: I belong to you; I hold your sadness in my hand.
Your happiness is here, beneath my codpiece. I won’t
Tell you where I keep your desire, he said. But I knew,
But I pretended not to know. And I felt nothing at all.
Now I live in the shadow of my giant. In the morning
Sometimes, while I walk to the bus, he tricks me by asking
For the time and ends up sucking the milk from my breast
And whispers that desire is my imagination too; happiness
Is a crutch; and sadness, Lepor, thanks to me your sadness
Is no more!