Lampedusa

Photo © Dawn Allynn



Into the solitude I went,
Dusky shadow, murky shade,
And viewed the change rock underwent,
Beneath the moonlit promenade.

Wandering paths of twists and turns
And shrubs of pungent, oily spice.
Feel my heart? It pulls, it yearns!
Into the solitude enticed.

So high it soars, this crag of stone,
A palisade non-ending sheer.
The rock beneath cracks not just bone,
There death not lags, but lay sincere.
Below sharp summits waters roll

And sing with voice like wind and breeze.
Dancing from depths as dark as coal,
And wearing dress of moonlit seas.
What splendid sights this isle holds,

How flawless is her loveliness.
Like a child, I am soft, cajoled,
In lithesome darkness’ sweet caress.

-1992