Alfama old Lisbon Portugal February 2007
a love poem
for Sarah
visited Iris and Xavier
flew from Louisville to Detroit
to London to Lisbon
my longtime dear friend Lucia and Maria and Pedro and their dog picked us
up
drove us in
their natural gas powered Peugeot
ancient friendly wisdomeyed dog by my side in my lap front seat
to Alfama to old Lisbon
Escolas Gerais #24-2
Iris
and Xavier’s apartment
narrow streets
centuries old
cobblestones handmade
tram rails electric
electrico 28
trams unlike any other orange and lemon colored trams
painted paintings trams decades centuries old in mint condition
trams dance slowly up and down narrow old Lisbon
cobbled streets
clothes hanging stories high stories high
three four five stories
every street filled with stories myths alive
fairy tale streets stories the clothes tell in gentle rain in turquoise
sunshine and fog on Rio Tejo foghorns ships boats headed to and fro
river ocean Tejo
Atlantic mists in the
morning church bells and
trams
at 5am pigeons loving
rooftops singing dawn
Sarah and I sleep on the top floor on the futoned floor under the stars
the night sky our window
door to the moon
at 2am after Fado Fado
beautiful Fado we wander
meander down and up
narrow stairs streets alleys
Sarah says listen listen and we all
Iris and Xavier and Sarah and I all stop and listen we listen we listen
and all we hear is the sound the soft and gentle sound of silence silence
at 2am Alfama old Lisbon no sounds no dogs barking no horns
blowing
no church bells singing no cars grinding no boats no planes no talking
only silence silence
silence stillness at 2am in old Lisbon what beauty
no other city in the world can say silence at 2am no sound only
silence stillness silence
I take Sarah’s hand
we kiss gentle on lips we melt at 2am old Lisbon
in the mist in the silent rain we kiss
Xavier plays gypsy violin while preparing gourmet French and Portuguese
dishes rare
spices herbs delicious the food melts in our mouths
the music melts our hearts Rimbaud Apollinaire Brel French songs poems
of love of peace of friendship
Xavier is the best tour guide in
Portugal watch out for the trams step into a doorway or die
spring is here orange
and lemon trees pregnant with ripe fruit
at
Portugal’s
largest bizarre street
market block after block
after block
Xavier says look and
there lo and behold there we see a tree filled
with big bright green glowing green parrots never before the people say
never before has such a sight been seen global warming they say has
has has global warming has thrown off
their migratory patterns the birds
the green birds look over the bizarre and in unison yell further further
further as
they in unison depart in flight headed further to
who knows where Sarah
buys skirts and sari and third eye
from India
street market old Lisbon police arrest drunk merchants we drink
espresso in sidewalk cafes
blue skies ancient
bright not withered faces
old wise faces
groceries markets restaurants
on every street run by
generations and generations
fresh food fruits vegetables meats seafoods
daily fresh wine ports
the best in the world palm
trees Atlantic and
Mediterranean breezes
it is spring in
Portugal Morocco Tangier out
the roof window
rooftops river ocean spring breezes songs poems dances
the dance Iris dances
the dance of life world beat
rhythms magic alchemy
mystery rhythms Iris dances Sarah sings the poem of life the poems of
love
Sarah and I dance love’s dance in Alfama old Lisbon
in Portugal
from Quinta da Regaleira
to Alfama
the water of life oh
eternal natural springs
wash us purify
us transform us
sweet angel of the fountains
of the natural springs
springs of seven mountains
oh angel of water
baptize
us
oh water of life
make us new
O Privilegio dos Caminhos
trazem a sua arte a Lisboa
num encontro
entre
poesia canto musica e danca
Lucia Baltazar Xavier Iris Sarah Ron
Santiago
Alquimista
ola
obrigado
birth life friendship love death
alchemy
Sintra
the journey below and above
Pessoa poet boulanger alchemist
poetry song dance
the bread of life
manger du livre eat
the book
and
the word will set you free
changing water to red wine
the wedding feast
in Alfama old Lisbon
Iris Xavier
our guides in this strange this mystical land
Fado destiny synchronicity
trams and
church bells
at 5am
meditation prayer
red wine
Tejoo
Bar
laughing woman
with a broom Tia Aida
Tejoo Bar
Pedro at midnight
guitared poems
freedom
portal
keep the flame alive
the flame of freedom
Mane Master of
Ceremonies
Pedro sings and drinks and recites poetry every night at The Tejoo Bar
Baltazaar Dazkarieh
world music world
rhythms
the
beauty of rhythmic movement of sound
measuring space with time with magically rhythmed time
romantic
alchemical mystery Portugal
Napoleao
the best wine port shop in Lisbon
Baixa Rua dos Fanqueiros (tell the owner
I sent you)
in Kentucky it’s raining Portuguese poems
the food the wine the coffee the port
my God oh Great Spirit
i’m in Heaven
Pasteis de Belem
Piriquita
the French gypsy violinist
Xavier plays and sings
till dawn
The Friends new
friends
Threshold of The Gods
Jesus
crowns Mary Magdalene
Ron crowns Sarah Elizabeth
Quinta da Regaleira
Sintra
Fount of Abundance
alchemical Portugal
the
threshold
the doorway
to
the creative imagination
to spirit realms
Lord Byron’s Café
Pessoa’s Hotel
by
plane and train we travel
we walk
from Oporto to Braga Bom Jesus
the Azores
Sintra
to old Lisboa
Alfama
to Faro
to Tangier
to Terceira
Luis
Vaz de Camoes
Fernando Pessoa
Ana Paula Inacio
Luis Quintas
Rui Coias
Fado
Amalia Rodrigues
old
Lisboa oh Lisbon oh Portugal
we sing your songs
we drink your wines
we make love to you
we raise toasts to you
we dance your dances
we whisper your poems
obrigado obrigado obrigado
obrigado
ola
with Love
Ron Whitehead
February 25, 2007
Copyright © Ron Whitehead 2007
www.tappingmyownphone.com
