I lie suspended
Weightless
In the crystal clear warmth
Of the Ionian Sea
As pebbles clatter and tumble and wash
From sea to shore and back.

Dreams flood in
Of pure white sands
Uncrowded seas
Villages of creams and pinks and blues.

Ancient history
And troubled modern times
Mix
With vibrant splashes
Of stunning bougainvillea.

Agile swallows swoop and dart and dance
Broken rocks and mortar
Scatter the land
Skeletons of another time
Left by the earth's shaking fury.

The air fills with aromatic wild herbs
A revered Saint
From 500 years before
Encased in silver and gold
Beneath the mountain Ainos.

Olive groves
Orange and lemon trees abound
Smiling friends
Special times remembered.

My Cephalonia.