By: Vivian J. Willinger
Posted: October 1, 2025
In Greece, I had days and daze,
With so much before my gaze.
Walking around the Parthenon,
Then driving south to Sounion.
Seeking the oracle at Delphi,
Drinking more than a little raki.
Crossing the indigo Aegean to quiet Kea,
Its hilltop houses garlanded with bougainvillea.
Checking out monasteries, ferries
And road-side strawberries.
Visiting monks in their Meteora forts,
Warned to not wear too-short shorts.
Exploring the north, the other Greece,
Asking if there’ll ever be a Balkan peace.
Mixing up Odysseus, Oedipus
And the occasional octopus.
Eating yogurts,
Watching goat herds.
Sitting in tavernas on terraces,
Sipping coffee thick as molasses.
Seeing little old ladies, so mournful, all in black.
Do they wonder about Hades? No one’s ever come back.
Noting Cretan men in their boots,
Staying true to their village roots.
Trooping around the palace of Knossos,
With our weary guide, Stephanos.
Clambering down a gorge in Samaria,
Thinking: I should have stayed in Kea.
Basking on a beach in Santorini,
Just the sea, the sky and me.
Savoring the light, so blue-bright,
A dazzling, de-lovely delight.
Remembering Cavafy’s poem and song:
“When you start on your journey, pray the road is long.”
Along a road full of adventure and knowledge.
Greece gave me my most beautiful voyage.
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