O Gerion de Estesícoro tem seis mãos e seis pés

I. Geryon

Geryon was a monster everything about him was red

Put his snout out of the covers in the morning it was red

How stiff the red landscape where his cattle scraped against

Their hobbles in the red wind

Burrowed himself down in the red dawn jelly of Geryon’s

Dream

Greyon’s dream began red then slipped out of the vat and ran

Upsail broke silver shot up through his roots like a pup

Secret pup At the front end of another red day

II. Meanwhile He Came

Across the salt knobs it was Him

Knew about the homegold

Had sighted red smoke above the red spires

III. Geryon’s Parents

If you persist in wearing your mask at the supper table

Well Goodnight Then they said and drove him up

Those hemorrhaging stairs to the hot dry Arms

To the ticking red taxi of the incubus

Don’t want to go want to stay Downstairs and read

IV. Geryon’s Death Begins

Geryon walked the red length of his mind and answered No

It was murder And torn to see the cattle lay

All these darlings said Geryon And now me

V. Geryon’s Reversible Destiny

His mother saw it mothers are like that

Trust me she said Engineer of his softness

You don’t have to make up your mind right away

Behind her red right cheek Geryon could see

Coil of the hot plate starting to glow

VI. Meanwhile in Heaven

Athena was looking down through the floor

Of the glass-bottomed boat Athena pointed

Zeus looked Him

VII. Geryon’s Weekend

Later well later they left the bar went back to the centaur’s

Place the centaur had a cup made out of a skull Holding three

Measures of wine Holding it he drank Come over here you can

Bring your drink if you’re afraid to come alone The centaur

Patted the sofa beside him Reddish yellow small alive animal

Not a bee moved up Geryon’s spine on the inside

VIII. Geryon’s Father

A quiet root may know how to holler He liked to

Suck words Here is an almighty one he would say

After days of standing in the doorway

NIGHTBOLLSNORTED

IX. Geryon’s War Record

Geryon lay on the ground covering his ears The sound

Of the horses like roses being burned alive

X. Schooling

In those days the police were weak Family was strong

Hand in hand the first day Geryon’s mother took him to

School She neatened his little red wings and pushed him

In through the door

XI. Right

Are there many little boys who think they are a

Monster? But in my case I am right said Geryon to the

Dog they were sitting on the bluffs The dog regarded him

Joyfully

XII. Wings

Steps off a scraped March sky and sinks

Up into the blind Atlantic morning One small

Red dog jumping across the beach miles below

Like a freed shadow

XIII. Herakles’ Killing Club

Little red dog did not see it he felt it All

Events carry but one

XIV. Herakles’ Arrow

Arrow means kill It parted Geryon’s skull like a comb Made

The boy neck lean At an odd slow angle sideways as when a

Poppy shames itself in a whip of Nude breeze

XV. Total Things Known About Geryon

He loved lightning He lived on an island His mother was a

Nymph of a river that ran to the sea His father was a gold

Cutting tool Old scholia say that Stesichoros says that

Geryon had six hands and six feet and wings He was red and

His strange red cattle excited envy Herakles came and

Killed him for his cattle

The dog too

XVI. Geryon’s End

The red world And corresponding red breezes

Went on Geryon did not

CARSON, Anne.

"Red Meat: Fragments of Stesichoros"

in Autobiography of Red, Vintage Books, 1998.