1
With their rugs and a suitcase, they stood on the harbor.
There were no trees, no clean sky, or friendly neighbors.
A deep feeling of nostalgia, burned their insides,
Reflected by the empty
expressions on their faces.
The plain landscape was surrounded by tall and ugly buildings
And their eyes couldn’t take this much hostility, so they lowered them
down.
There were others brought by the same conditions, looking dull, frightened,
lost.
But his eyes moved upon his shoulders, to the only treasure that he
had.
A kid with blonde short hair, tired and hungry, dressed with an old red
jacket.
He seized the hand of his wife and together they walked to an unknown
direction
With only their rugs, a suitcase and a hungry child.
2
A broken bench. They sit around it. The park is dark and dirty.
As they lie tired and thirsty an old man approaches.
‘Go; get away, not here, not here…’ he screams looking distraught.
‘Not here my friend. Here is dangerous. Do you speak Greek? Do you
understand what I’m saying?’
Not an answer, just an agonising face struggling to understand.
‘Go. Run away from here. Oh God
you are so young and with a kid…’
A gesture with his head and the young father signalled their departure.
They were lost between tall terrifying buildings, decorated with dirty
flower pots.
They start to whisper, and then they kissed.
3
The cars are speeding fast.
The highway pierced the tall
mountains and took them elsewhere.
More cars behind them, faster, smaller, better
The door opened, the driver gave directions
‘For how long we’re traveling?’ he wonders.
4
A day in the fields.
There are men and women, all bending down, behind the big tractors.
They sweat and moan, they sing, they tell stories and they laugh.
They are tired and they all want to go home.
The sun burns their heads, the boss screams.
He screams and swears. He doesn’t want them to sing and laugh.
He wants them to work. Faster, better, longer.
They don’t care. They pretend that they don’t understand.
They feel close to each other. They are brothers and sisters.
No matter where they come from…
5
A small photograph is standing next to a vase, decorating her window.
She looks at it from time to time and she smiles. She feels secure.
Then she takes her son, puts him to sit on her lap and reads him a
story.
He is happy. He smiles at her. He feels secure too.
And then she smiles back at him and plays with his hair.
By the time the sun goes down, he is asleep and she stares outside the
window.
He comes back the usual time and she is safe again.
6
Outside in the yard there are many kids, playing hide and seek.
On the first floor there is a horrible scene he witnesses.
A big looking man is screaming at a woman.
The boy can see because they’re in the balcony.
The man screams and curses at her. She screams back.
A little girl is at the stair, crying. ‘My dad is mean’ she says.
The screams continue for a few more minutes.
Then blood drips and stops it all.
The man picks up the girl and locks up the door.
An old lady calls the boy over her window.
The boy is not afraid, just shy to ask what happened.
7
The darkness cannot stop them from caring for each other.
They always find a way. Even if they have to move blindly from wall to
wall, they’ll find each other.
Their hands will touch and she will know that it’s her darling.
Their lips will meet and he will know that is his sweetheart.
Even if the apartment is huge their fingertips eventually will meet and
whisper all together.
They don’t need light at nights. Their light is enough and can be felt
even by a five years old boy,
Who secretly smiles at his King and Queen.
Why would he need more than that? That’s the only light he needs.
8
They would have to separate now, for a decent amount of time.
The woman looked good even with a swollen belly
Oh, how he wished she didn’t have to go.
She waved goodbye and left them there.
Her mother would now take care of her.
He stayed to seek a better future and no one knows what his thoughts
were at those moments.
‘We have to catch the bus tomorrow too’ he announced to the boy.
The next day they were heading to the capital.
Sun forced the flowers to blossom, but he was worried.
They were just two months away from the summer.
9
The warm summer made the life in the terrace even more difficult,
But he could see the lights, which were expanding far to the old
seaport.
During day he could even see some ships, blurry, parked to the horizon.
He would often think of his mother. His father would too.
They were both waiting for the early afternoon, when they would rest
and eat a warm sandwich.
10
‘You can stay here if you want’ said the son of the boss
He tried to smile and he received a look of surprise
Then the bed was fixed, the broken windows too.
They lied on the old deck, but it wasn’t the same.
He remembered of the old days back home.
How many friends…
11
No one dared to tell him what happened, or what to expect.
He was a grown up now and could understand by himself
His father with his legs stretched in bed, hiding away his regrets and
his shame.
His father, the one who looked him in the eyes and felt responsible
He would never move again they said and that made him angry
‘Then, will you feed them?’ he asked
He went down the stairs creeping. This man wouldn’t fall.
The world was too small for him and he would crush it down and under
his will.
The boy was about to receive the greatest lesson his father ever gave
him.
11
Evil knocks at the door and delivers a baby
So, beautiful that people thought it was a girl
They gave him the name of God, as he was born the same day
He measured everything and everyone, with his eyes
Under his skin was an abyss, which swallowed his beauty and left only
pain
They all knew the name fit him perfectly. He was the only God among
them.
He never sinned, or judged, or hated. He only laughed and cried.
He was Christ on earth.
12
The summer came, at last. He would run and slide on the load of dirt.
He was a soldier, a knight, a king. His friend would follow.
They ate together, slept under the same moon. They had the same
clothes.
They had the same wounds. They were brothers, best friends, and neighbors.
The sun would hide and they would separate. Just for a few hours.
There was no next day. They read together the adventures of Tom Sawyer
And they thought that it was possible.
So, they built a tree house, strong enough to last for the summer.
Then, when they mastered the craft, they built more.
Until every tree that could host a tree house had one.
That was the summer. It was never enough.
13
He would never tell his father. Instead, he would protect himself.
The other foreign kids too. His father would never know.
He thought he was brave enough. He was indeed.
He was strong too…
14
A map fell on his head. It was
too big and it came off the wall.
The teacher came and she looked like a demon
She started to swear. She started to scream.
She talked of his father. None of it was true.
Oh how he wished she knew none of it was true
His father was nobler than she was.
Oh, how he wished she knew.
Then, he understood what nobility is and added it to his terms.
15
The news were heard by a phone call.
There was silence and grief.
‘Now,’ said his father ‘you’re carrying no one’s name’
He left the room and hided to himself.
16
What is this sound, like a baby’s cry?
Don’t turn off the lights, I’m afraid
Make the cries stop.
Is he in pain? Does it hurt that much?
Is it sorrow? Is it sadness?
What is it mom?
Why can’t he talk?
The other kids can.
Can he hear me now?
Does he understand?
What are you doing?
Why are you singing to him? He is not a baby anymore.
Dad, why is he crying all the time?
Why doesn’t he listen to you?
I don’t like him dad.
I am sorry.
17
The summer brought happiness.
Flowers were popping out from the pots
All sorts of colors; red, purple, blue,
But white always looked the perfect one to his eyes.
18
Bubby was following him to school every morning.
Once they arrived at the gate, he would go back.
His eyes looked at the boy with a sign of gratitude.
Eternally thankful, that was Bubby, just as only a dog can be.
He lied on a pile of cartons and didn’t make a sound or move.
He had accepted his fate.
But then, everybody would witness the bond between a boy and a dog.
His eyes looked tired and blood was dripping from his skin.
He found, however, the strength to lay his big head on to the boy’s
hands.
And then, silence. Nothing happened.
Eternally thankful, that was Bubby.
19
There was an upsetting phone call that morning.
He was a grownup now; he knew exactly what it meant.
Then, a white marble, soulless, dead, but still innocent.
He then considered death. He never did before.
He felt its present now,
its greatness, its shape.
His flower was not white. White stood for innocence and justice.
His flower was yellow.
20
He fell from the ladder leading to heaven.
He had nothing now, just a blurry memory.
The best of their moments, the best of that summer.
21
“But, death my son will always be your shadow.
It comes at nights, to disturb the peace of your sleep.
It makes life meaningless and itself a higher purpose.
Who are we after all? It doesn’t matter.
You see, you see? There is no justice in death. Don’t go out there to
seek for any.
Death bends them all. Strong become week. Big become small. Invincible
become vulnerable.
Death bends them all. Yes my son, even the wise ones.
All you can do is spread his word. All you can do is continue his life
from where he left it.
Make sure they learn about him. His name will follow you.”
22
On the table there was fish, bread and a lot of meat.
A humble meal to say goodbye; who knew when they would see him again.
They all went to the bus
station, sharing the last conversation.
The day had come. The boy grows up. They were proud of him.
He would now carry the flag of their family.
He would take it to places they never imagined; far away to Wales
And it would wave proudly among the green hills.
A father’s tear and a farewell...
