It doesn’t matter where you go –
You’ll find some spot in Rethymno
That halts you in your tracks to look
Down narrow lanes where every nook
And cranny has a plant displayed:
There’s bougainvillea , every shade,
Jasmine’s white, hibiscus’ red,
Tight-woven vines above your head
Whose matted leaves cast dappled light
Plus welcome cool and calm despite
A summer sun that’s blazing down
Upon the stone walls of a town
Already ancient when its port
Was overshadowed by the fort
That Venice built to guard the coast
For centuries until a host
Of Turkish ships appeared one day
Then landed troops across the bay.
So many that the fort must fall
And even now upon its wall
You sense the dread defenders felt
As hopelessly they fired then knelt
To reload knowing that the hordes
Would storm the walls and wield their swords.
Once down the hill, that former fear
Is washed away with Mythos beer
As in a quiet and shady street
We rest our legs and start to eat.
