A l i k i (2010)

Lake Aliki, Cyprus. For centuries, flamingos have wintered here from Iran. Rimbaud encountered them when he worked a quarry in Larnaca. 7th century Arabs described them to mark the burial site of Umm Haram, aunt of the Prophet Muhammad. It is said that Lazarus spent his days on the shores of this lake after his resurrection, staring into the sun to shake off the darkness of the grave. The Greeks represented flamingos in poetry, the Romans slaughtered them for their tongues. Today, a man sings:

Pharmacist, oh pharmacist, oh pharmacist, I want medicine for myself, My heart, my heart is beating like this, My heart is afflicted because of you.