A bright green grapevine
Hung over a Potter’s
Workshop on the
Island of Naxos,
And the purple grapes
Glowed over the finished
Clay amphorae pots
Drying outside
Under a hot
Aegean
Sun.

On the other side
Of the potter’s cottage
Hung a yellow bicycle
On a wall under faded
Blue window shutters,
And the terracotta red
Roof tiles shone brightly.

The curtains
Inside the window
Billowed softly
And dust
Picked up
By the sunlight
Fell on the open
Pages of old
Poetry books.

The radio crackled
With old Greek love
Songs and the flow
Of history continued here,
And the Potter honoured
The ancient ancestors
With his way of life.

His life was simple,
And the Potter made
Enough to survive
And was happy with
Existence and the
Balance it brought;
For he was part
Of the ancient flow
And rhythm of Naxos,
And understood
Deeply the
Meaning
Of life.

In the heat of summer,
The tourists would
Occasionally come
By in bus loads,
And would walk
Through his workshop
To observe him at his craft
Like a museum exhibition.

He heard them
Chatter about
Their lives back
In the west;
They had their
Gadgets,
Materialism,
Mortgages
And atheism.

His young teen
Apprentice observed
Them both carefully,
The group of tourists
And the Potter,
And when they
Had left he
Wondered who
Was the wealthier
Of the two?

After some
Contemplation,
The apprentice
Realised that
The Potter was
Rich in wisdom,
Living, meaning
And in balance with
The land and the people.

He wanted
Nothing of the west
And their shallow ways;
For they lived in their
Apartments like
Cave dwellers watching
Shadows dance on the wall,
And after awhile had
Lost touch with
Reality.

*******************************

With a digital drawing from Nikos Laios

********************************

Don't miss Nikos Laios NEW eBook
The Silent Symphony
A collection of poems and paintings,
you can download for FREE, HERE!

********************************

Also check Nikos Laios' EBOOK
Ida & Her Magic Camera
is online now and you can download for FREE HERE!