The Ear of Dionysius

 

The Ear of Dionysius

echoes through history

of plots to kill the tyrant

voices that echoed

against the chamber

deep in its prison walls

hard to stop the madness

echoing beyond throat

of the oppressed

when democracy ended

 

Across centuries and waters

(now leaving Sicily)

the history of Albania unfolds

fifty years of dictatorship

when clergy and poets died

political opponents

enemies of the state

under surveillance wherever they go

executed or imprisoned

hear their echo

 

________________

dVerse prompt on the word echo.  Legend of the cave of Dionysius being a prison and the voices of the imprisoned were heard plotting because of the remarkable echoing of this cave.  In October, I stood in the darkness of this cave and practiced my echo voice, then a tour bus group came in and started to sing.  I know there is more to this poem than I have here -how history echoes into the future.

Advertisement

On Edge

When the earth quakes, it could take half of a day to hear the news that people are buried in rubble of collapsed buildings. Others are more fortunate and come out at 4am trying to escape the 35 seconds of earth plates moving. Expecting more to follow, they wait in the streets of Tirana.

 

Back home we wait for the big one. Engineer stronger buildings, take down viaducts and go underground. The last one swayed trees and road as I drove towards Gazzam Lake. An hour later, the water in a huge tank off the trail was still sloshing.

 

somewhere a rogue wave

or volcanic eruption

thankful not today

 

___________________________

a haibun following the Albanian earthquake

In Albania

In Albania

we visit the Jonathon Center

dance with the children

who are celebrating a birthday

This is the house where Mother Teresa’s mother

and sister lived during Communism

Mother Teresa was not allowed into the country

they said she was a spy

When Communism fall in Albania

Mother Teresa returned

put flowers of forgiveness on the grave

of the dictator and then went to her mother’s grave

When her mother was living

people would have coffee with her

they could not talk about God

there was no God in Albania

__________________

stories from Albania

Postcard from Anna

  
Arrived in Tirana

You would love the mountains

and the food