Sitting behind you on your Vespa
Clouds reflect in the rear-view mirrors –
aquamarine, peach and a muted shade of mauve –
hilltops before us,
peaks covered in snow creating an otherworldly beauty
amidst the concrete jigsaw pieces of Athens.
The cold finds its way under my clothes,
through unseen openings where gloves don’t quite touch,
fights with the warmth of my body –
at moments winning, at others losing –
and all the while, I take deep breaths
filling my lungs with chill and freshness,
hoping to make this fleeting heaven last
through the burning waves of heat the summer will, no doubt,
bring with it again.