King Kouros of Samos
King Kong, the monster
created in 1933, dubbed
the eighth wonder of the world,
is a poor second to
King Kouros of Samos island,
carved from a giant block
of grey-white marble
in the sixth century BC.
He stands 16 feet tall,
a colossus, with boulder shoulders,
and a vast chest atop
his tapering torso, on which
hang massive arms, thighs
and a softball sized scrotum.
His penis is missing as are both feet,
but his right hand is intact,
clasped in a gentle fist showing
a perfectly manicured thumbnail.
As I crane my neck
to look up at his face,
King Kouros stares out
the barred window
of the museum gallery
where he’s on display,
a smug, full-lipped,
archaic smile on his face.
It seems to convey
that he’s waiting for the day
when archaeologists
will find, to make him complete,
his missing sculpted feet.
Then he’ll make his break,
escape, with his great strength
bending window bars,
smashing through plaster and brick,
bursting on to the street.
A live King Kouros
wreaking havoc on the island of Samos