STILL MORE AEGEAN ISLANDS - Poem

STILL MORE AEGEAN ISLANDS

When we leave Mykonos for Naxos
It is blowing (we dragged anchor twice)
We rollick downwind under headsail alone
We are pleased there are no ropes to splice

Like Mykonos, Naxos is charming but packed
The alleys wind up through the shops
And cafes and bars and old Frankish town
And at night the town fairly hops

We motor bike up through the hills behind town
Past the old marble pits gleaming white
We find Apiranthos and Filoti
Bougainvillea splashed upon white

Will this meltemi stop? It's been blowing for days
When it drops off a bit we're away
To Paroika on Paros'north western side
A beautiful big calm bay

You immediately feel that the tempo has dropped
From a city to country town
We wander around the stone flagged lanes
And steps winding up and down

Antiparos (by ferry) slows down even more
We have omelettes and coffee ashore
Then we bike tour again through the terraced hills
(They are, sadly, not worked any more)

It's a lovely calm night at Sikinos
When we anchor outside the mole
We climb up this morning to Kastro
This is close to the Greek Islands soul

Now we're tied up at Santorini
And Kerrie and Michael arrive
We descend the town steps, ride donkeys back up
And watch Thira come alive

There's an issue here with our papers
The bureaucrats have a field day
Then the customs display some creative skills
And we're legal to go on our way

We depart Vlikhada marina
And sail slowly round the caldera
Past the port and the plug and then Oia
At the northern most end of Thira

There's a mooring they've kept at Thirasia
We climb up the steps to the top
We swim and we sketch and the crew do their tasks
It's a good low-key place to stop

Now we're off west to Folegandros
The bus barely climbs up it's hill
To the Hora. It bustles, musicians arrive
But old-timers sit there still

We drop anchor off Poliagos
Under Manolonisi's lee
A stern line induces the wind to drop
We're alone with the moon and the sea

Times are changing, we find, at Milos
High priced Plaka is where you should be
But the fuel man shows us his veggie patch
And at Klima the canteloupe's free

When Kerrie and Michael's bike comes adrift
They decide to resign their commissions
We see the Free Spirits at Sifnos
When we anchor in calm conditions

This morning we're heading to Hydra
Will the rich and the famous be here?
We were here nearly 32 years ago
Some memories are dim,some seem clear

Were the donkeys like that on the waterfront?
Where's the hotel? Who can tell?
Were the cafes paved with marble then?
Ah yes, I remember it well

It blows from the north at Mandraki Bay
So we hurriedly get under way
It keeps blowing harder; we creep back in
To the shelter of Poros Bay

This cloud has its silver lining though:
Poros channel and town to explore
Tiled villas sweep down to the water here
And the greenery softens the shore

If the wind drops down in the morning
As it will, supposedly
We'll be sailing through the Corinth canal
And farewell the Aegean sea


JULY 2008