ANASTASIOS CHATZIGIANNIS, Greece's National Honour
September 2026
A Guide to Bravery
A GUIDE TO BRAVERY
Your Majesty! Do not worry!
The basement is deep enough,
and if the barbarians happen to find you,
we'll pretend we know nothing.
Put on your robe.
Splash a little red on it.
An excellent cloak.
A would-be drunkard,
an outcast,
a member of a notorious gang—
everything will be just fine!
Let the people
fight,
sacrifice themselves,
honoring your name.
Send your fighting greetings
after it's all over.
Come out unscathed
when the bombing of the country ends.
Surely they will crown you with laurels.
Some may wish to crucify you.
Ignore them!
You, standing proud,
thrust out your chest,
strike a commanding pose,
salute decisively
as the crowd cheers.
If anyone is left alive—
even just one.
Who knows?
He might be tomorrow's prime minister.
Score: 75 out of 100.
A pointed, competently built political satire whose sardonic closing line lands, though its plain diction and a few slack lines keep it short of the strongest work.
Read the September 2026 National Honours