This Guest Post is by Patricia Cole. Patti was a founder member of Pens Around the World. She left us when she and her husband moved back to England after 15+ years in Greece.
Here in the Southern Aegean Spring is in the air. On the mainland cold weather rages and there is snow in the North. The bad weather is forecast to reach here later in the week, but it will not last long and for now we can feel the warmth of the sun.
Some brave people are swimming but I am not one of them!
I am hoping the rising of the sap will kick start my creative juices but while I sit at my computer and think, here is a poem that encapsulates my feelings at this time of year.
Island in the Spring by Patricia Cole
The sun shines once again, it’s spring
air redolent with scents of herbs
water in the bay a shimmering blue
white fluffs of clouds meander o?er the sky
wild cyclamen appear from every crack
daisies raise their faces to the sun
for a few short weeks our island will be green
before the long hot summer takes a hold.
The almond blossom’s heavy on the trees
the sounds of bleating lambs to make one smile
warm sun touches winter skin
foretaste of summer heat to come
blue sky, washing blowing in the breeze
children playing football in the square
our island waking up from winter sleep
uplifts the soul, so pleased to be alive.
Tourists flock here for relentless sun
to lie on beaches broiling, turning red
thinking they know the island very well
but never glimpse it as it is right now
they see it brown and scorched with heat
a harsh and craggy rock arising from the sea
they never breathe this green and lovely isle
a tiny part of Greece that is my home.
Pat, you are so fortunate to be spring-wise way ahead of us in the middle of Europe, who are captive in winter’s frozen landscape. But winter does also have its charm. Especially when sun and blue skies reign above and fields and forests glitter with snow. Inside of an evening, a nice wood fire augments the room’s temperature as well as its cosy atmosphere. But your poem gives us reason to hope that in a couple of months, we too will enjoy spring’s arrival with the first bulbs pushing their way into the sunlight. We too can turn our faces to the heavens and feel the sun’s warmth. Aren’t seasons a wonderful thing?
BTW does every island have a paint color that residents are obliged to use?
Debbie, You are correct in that winter has its charms. When I lived in Northern BC the winters were spectacular. When it wasn’t snowing the sky was blue and the sun glittered off the pristine landscape. Yes, seasons are wonderful and I never cease to wonder at the glories of Mother Nature.
Our island of Symi is a conservation island and the paint colours are regulated and should be the original colour wash. However, more and more people are using acrylic paint and the colours are deeper and harsher and, in my humble opinion, spoil the island’s beauty.