SANTORINI

Raven hair falling across the pillow.
Denim hanging over a wooden chair.
Half-written poems litter the table.
The village is dancing, everywhere.

This frenetic crossroads of the world,
bursting with life, is heaven to me.
So many people I haven't met yet!
So many places I've yet to see!

The wind is cool but the sun is rising.
Bikes are waiting, tickets to anywhere.
We'll ride this morning through the hills

then relax in the sand without a care.

Tropical oils are carried by ancient winds

as life-loving hedonists deepen their tans.
A girl weaves bright threads into your hair.
A radio plays melodies from faraway lands.

I dive from a cliff into the bright blue Aegean

and return to you, fresh as a newborn child.
We lie together on rocks 'til we're golden brown,

then rush back home to heed the call of the wild.

On the way, a smiling man sells us homemade red wine

as a spectacular sunset ends one more perfect day.
The yellow lights of the village flicker and twinkle

inviting everyone to come and eat, dance and play.

What else could we need in life? What else but this?
Reveling in all that it is to be human and young.
How many live lifetimes never knowing this feeling?
How many die with their sweetest songs unsung?

So come with me, now - not tomorrow or "someday".
Right now! Pack your bags. We're leaving tonight.
The wide world is throbbing outside our windows.
It's time to do EVERYTHING we said that we might!


- Mark Rickerby
www.markrickerby.com