Afterthought

(An extract from Cyprus Poems)

I still remember Cyprus.
I still remember the long, dusky beaches.
Bakeries selling Olive Pies.
Schoolgirls in long skirts which dangled past their feet.

I still remember Cyprus.
Long, hot days and thunderstorm nights.
Old women crippled in pain threading lace.
Puppies sold in boxes like they were pieces of meat.

I still remember Cyprus.
The frustration and the sadness in Evi’s eyes,
When she talked about 1974
But also the laughter which reduced her almost
To a giggling schoolgirl,
When she talked to friends
Which in  a way summed up Cyprus to me.

A mixture of dark and light.
A mixture of dark and light.