PORTUGAL

jan-hansen@clix.pt

Christmas In Lisbon

The best part of Lisboa is its benign neglect,

blocks, of once posh, flats untouched by wars

empty now, but full of silent history. Untold

stories guarded by rusty padlocks, cobwebs

for curtains and when broken windows let in pale

sunlight ancient dust dance. Around these islands

of the past a steady river of cars driven by those

see newness as a way to a better future.





In narrow streets, away from the bustle,

little squares with a statue of a poet whose

transient wisdom is long forgotten.

Or a general who bravely lost a battle on

a field of war no one remembers.

Or a bishop whose thunderous sermons

against lose living was ignored then and

certainly blissfully forgotten now.





Yet in the hazy stream of life there are rocks,

barely visible, which tell us that there are basic

truths which will prevail, as long as the river

of life does and beyond where peace resides-

© All Copyright, Jan O Hansen.
All Rights Reserved. Printed By Permission.