a name

Ula, at dinner, said Anafi means

‘without snakes’. She bought a ring

in a twisted cylindrical shape to carry

this power. This morning I hiked up

to the top of the Chora and hid from

the noon sun behind the iconic white

church in a cave of warm-colored rocks

My hand traveled on their surface, learning textures, passing and sometimes entering crevices void of fear of venomous creatures. Some translations say

Anafi means ‘revelation’