souvlaki

[constantine]

charcoal
wisps of smoke -
cinders and ashes.

passing a bar on the eastside
it hits me square on the nose
the smell of souvlaki ...

crossing the Atlantic, my father:
"the Rock of Gibraltar!"
i can't visualize,
something so big flies
under a child's radar,
a fish jumps out of the sea
and curls in a silver arc
was it real - did it happen?
it did, even if it did not

the cafe, lanterns lit
colored orbs strung with wire
sea spray, night glistens
with effervescence
mom and dad, the wine
the memories between them
the waiter brings the food
smell of souvlaki and pita, they laugh
no vegetables for me - just meat and bread,
i was a purist at four

walking the underpass towards home
the smells linger, a different
time and place, memories reconfigure
the emotional equations
where was my brother?
what did he eat for dinner?
there, even in his absence

[Arcadia]

mmmm.... delicious, Constantine!

touchy-spectral-misterious kind of beggining and end...and I loved this line, it made me smile:

i was a purist at four

gracias for sharing!!!!

[constantine]

thank you, arcadia. those were happy times.

[SmileGRL]

constantine...i like the selectiveness of your (4 year old) memory. this whole poem made me smile. beautiful in its innocence. even the stubborn line "it did, even if it did not"...maybe specially that line. much enjoyed.

[constantine]

such a nice comment. thank you very much, smilegrl.