The wind again today
slithers and hisses like an angry snake
through cracks and alleyways
The limes and beeches bow before it,
shedding their outer garments
in homage
as the rain falls and falls like
unstoppable tears
You say: Grief comes
in great gusts to blow you down
Your house still stands
but you are a thousand miles away,
your brave ship rolling against bitter waves
thrown by a hurricane into your path
You hunt for oil to pour
on troubled waters
or sell in the streets
with a heavy heart
In vain: you remember the calm blue summer warmth
only a week ago,
when we drank wine in the streets –
the air still and dry,
the fields full of dust beyond the ruined church –
and it seemed almost nothing
could go wrong
You reach back:
eternity has stepped in
and removed the evidence