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Shades of Smyrna


09.18.19 Posted in today's words by

John Short lives and writes in Liverpool, England.

Shades of Smyrna
By John Short

Athens 2007
Past refugees
haunt the streets of this city,
pave stones cover forgotten lives
each district conceals
a trail of hardship and loss.
Their dreams are long-eclipsed
but surface when the moon comes up
invoked by timeless music
from bouzouki and guitar
as people dance in clubs
or couples chat
in sleepy kebab shops
over barreled wine
that somehow drags the night along
stretching slow hours
till dawn arrives
while traffic slurs color and light
loudly across the streets—
blasting out songs from radios
that keep history alive
and those shades of Smyrna
are maybe listening too.


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