by Jan Houston

...is yet alive
beyond the lofty ruins
of a dusty myth
its fate cast from Olympus
like scattered artifacts
among the armless statues of
alabaster gods and goddesses
honed featureless
by the winds of time
riddled in salt air
on an Aegean shore
longing for life
in the touch of a stranger
from a golden age

The greatness that was Greece
Abides not in cracked columns
standing sentinel on an acropolis
hosting Aristotle vs. Plato
in the echoes of an empty Parthenon
where spirits whisper
to ancestors centuries removed...
they speak to me
in the tongue of young Diogenes...
still at war for Helen
still in love with Aphrodite
their minds bring welcome gifts
of wisdom to the future
and wreathes of victory
and through their knowing eyes
I watch the launching
of a marathon for freedom
run down narrow streets
into the teeming city
to light a simple torch
on Grecian soil

The greatness that was Greece
is yet alive...
born in the cradle of democracy
alive in all things glorious
and strong
The greatness that was Greece
is yet alive...
for the loving of humanity
is not an ancient art
and truth survives us all

©1999 Jan Houston.
Jan Houston is a poet, musician and human rights activist. She lives in Plano.