A Modern Day View of Athens, Greece

A Modern Day View of Athens, Greece

by Brett Knepper

You lean against a pillar,

Looking out across your empty world with a smile;

Seeing things as they are --

A way in which you’ve designed.

The country over the hill was vast once,

Glowing with the golden shine of corn;

Making a stocky sea of yellow

Unlike the blue Mediterranean behind it,

Unlike the grey clouds of smog behind you.

Now it’s tight, cramped,

Scoured by the ever-growing boundaries of tar

Spreading their undulating fingers across the land,

Hoping to take up every last inch

Thus fulfilling your desire in the process.

Those who came before knew

How to let the beauty of nature shine through

Only taking the territories needed,

And in those which they did use,

Creating structures equal to the gods’ own Olympus.

But you, you have taken that

And made it a sight for the wealthy to gaze,

Keeping the few spaces left and structures

As reminders for our hearts

As your cities take over the remains.

“Tear down the trees,” you say.

The dust settles, upon which we build.

And I watch you snicker at your pillar

From what’s left of Victoria

As the clouds above rain tears for fallen earth,

And I below weep tears for fallen earth.

Liam Hogan - Untitled 2, 2018