Summer holiday poem: a villa on the edge

A villa on the edge

My daughter swimming laps.
I lose count after 200,
she’s not best pleased.
For my penance I take her down the cliff
to the rocky beach.
She snorkels in the pools.
I dread the journey back;
she beats me by a mile.

She watches lizards soaking up the heat.
I shower and almost straightaway
feel dry and hot again.

We drive into the mountains.
It’s cooler here and empty villages,
without a soul in sight.
The border guards ignore us
until we move too close.
Scowls: we back the car away.

Shopping, we wake the elderly couple
sleeping in their bed in the shade beside the shop.
The freezer is full of meat, and blood stained.
We eat delicious hard crusted bread
and set off to find Aphrodite,
then lunch by the sea.

Evening-we park in the town square.
We leave it,
keys in the ignition
in case it needs to be moved.
My daughter orders her favourite;
aubergines courgettes and fried haloumi,
Water melon, and then ice-cream.

In the morning I’m startled by a goat,
his head poked through the bathroom window.
It’s already warm
and daughter’s swimming laps again.

15 thoughts on “Summer holiday poem: a villa on the edge”

  6. I thought so. You reminded me of Newman’s Farm just outside Kyrenia famous for its ice cream and milk shakes. But it’s on the wrong side now and anyway, that was before you were born!

    Sob!

  8. Ara – I like it a lot. You have packed so many images here, its like a montage of picture postcards. I love the lines on the lizard verse and as for the goat’s head, who would have then thought that he/she would make an appearance in poetry! Super ending! (Forget scanning; it contours well!)

  9. Hello PapaG.

    Thank you for your generous comment. It’s a bit of a change from my usual style, but I’m pleased you liked it. It’s quite difficult to try to portray the atmosphere of a place, but I tried to pick out some of the highlights.

  10. Hello Ara, I keep bumping into you everywhere. 🙂
    .
    Picturesque poem. Well done.

    You’re right about the border guards being on full alert. Our bus guide told us when we were there that UN observers are in the hills watching both sides. It was daunting being so close to an International conflict.

  11. Hello again, JW, we cannot keep meeting like this! 😉

    Thank you, I’m pleased to enjoyed the poem.

    Yes, they do keep a close eye out around the border,or they did when I was there. We had a couple of close encounters when we were out exploring. Select reverse gear and wave apologetically was the only thing to do!

  13. Hello, Badger.

    Yes, actually I see what you mean. I tried to keep the images simple and uncluttered, without using too many adjectives, or poetic devices. I don’t know how successful it is as poem, but I’m not the best judge of that.

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