Greece

Greece

A time in my life

Where I didn't feel right

I travelled to Europe

A one way flight

A right of passage 

I considered it like

A way to move forward 

And make sense of my life

Socially awkward

High anxiety

Self medicating

A misfit of society

So the journey Began

with 20 hours flying

I would find my real self

Or die trying

Everything at home 

was dead to me now

Just a backpack, a walk-man

And a beach towel

Arrived at the islands 

famous for raves

Spent half of my funds

In the first few days

I met up with Brad 

on a boat with the Scots 

They welcomed me aboard

To sail from Ios to Mykanos

One night at the helm 

I did a late shift

But I lost all control 

As the swell sent us adrift

I fought against the ocean

And navigated by stars

Eventually I managed

To follow the charts

As the sun rose

Ahead was the shore

Battered and tired

In the harbor we moored

It was fun and adventurous 

and I started to see

I must take these opportunities

Offered to me

See the 20 year old me 

I didn’t like

I needed to drink

I'd get drunk and fight

So I started to try 

To see the beauty in life

I explored all the islands 

Read books and exercised

One hot, windy day 

I decided to run

To the top of a mountain 

in the hot midday sun

Catching my breath, 

I saw a girl there

Alone taking pictures 

As the wind swept hair

She smiled and asked

To take a photo of her

I obliged and she thanked me

An introduction occured

About our lives

we started to speak 

A little English 

and a little Greek 

Getting to know her 

over the next few days

Cigarettes and coffee

We avoided the raves

I played the lost boy

She took me to Athens

We went to dinner 

with some of her friends

They said I was cute

And asked me my name

We drank Retsina. 

And played drinking games.

Inside I was already 

feeling a change

In the past I wouldn't

have been this brave 

We travelled by train 

to where I don’t know

Through tunnels and mountains 

To a place she called home

I met with her family

Her dad shook my hand

We ate alfresco 

mosaka and lamb

The warm night air, 

drifted through olive groves

The evening grew old.

They left us alone

Speaking our truths

We stayed up all night

Then Fell asleep

When we saw the day light

I fell in love that Day

But not with the girl

I fell in love

With travelling the world

Acropolis

Sailing the islands

Athens