Category: Travel Impressions

Mouraria Poesia

Lisbon, February 17th

Mouraria,
Ghetto of the Moors
With its steep narrow streets
Baracks between
colourful tiled houses
Cracks in walls
Scars of the earthquake
will not allow to forget

Cradle of fado
Shades of people who
lived here,
who died here
Their voices still heard at night
A resigned echo
during the day
Calmness and passion
rule the hearts
of those
who believe in fate

Laughter and tears
of ordinary men
and women
with shared
ordinary dreams
Just like ours

©RoseGirl2018

The Cathedral

Lisbon, February 16th

The Sé adorns the city
And graces its heart
Inside the wisdom of silence
preaches

And touched
by ages of devotion
I build my own cathedral
with words of elegance,
prayers of truth and love
To rise up to heaven
and honor
the poetry of life

And like a crusader
I dedicate myself to
my own divine path
Knowing that
glowing glamour
lies within

©RoseGirl2018

Tram 28

Lisbon, February 15th

I glide up and down the hills
trough the narrow alleys
on tram 28
This vehicle of romance
that shakes me into nightly daydreams

And suddenly
I am in a movie in black and white
And my heart starts to beat excitedly
Because – who knows –
At the next stop there is a man waiting for me,
holding a red rose
in his hand

©RoseGirl2018

Wavy Patterns

Cascais, February 15th

The sea here at my feet
The world perceived in wavy patterns
Things come and go and come
In this carousel of life
My gaze at the horizon
There is only this ocean between us
A sea that divides the land

And I could walk over water
Or ride a winged horse to take me
all the way to the promised land
Or I could just stand my ground here
Firmly with both feet in the sand
And wait the sea to bring me
All that is meant to roll back my way

©RoseGirl2018

A New Day

Lisbon, February 15th

A light rain shower awakens

the town this morning

A baptism of heaven’s waters

to reassure me I am on the right path

And all is safe and I am blessed

to follow my footsteps into this new day

©RoseGirl2018

Dancing City Lights

Lisbon, February 14th

The dark is a comfortable blanket
that covers me in sweetness
Words of life caress the streets
Everything here breathes poetry
At the other side of the riverbank
I see the city lights dancing
And I could dance along with them
all night long
In the knowing that
The sun will rise again
at its own perfect timing
That life’s tides come my way
the way they do
That this city follows
its own unshakeable rhythm
And as long as I follow mine
I will never be out of tune

©RoseGirl2018

Ode At Sunset

Lisbon, February 14th, Valentine’s Day

He whose beauty I find in every sunset
He whose eyes I see when I close mine
He whose smile I feel in rays of happiness
He whose light guides my way
through the darkest hour
He whose voice sings me
into sweetest dreams
He whose embrace contains
more than the world
He whose soul I love
Beyond body, time and space
He whose heart stirs up these words
For him is written,
For him is sung,
While the sun glides off the earth,
gratefully this ode

©RoseGirl2018

Uma Casa Portuguesa

Lisbon, February 13th

It’s cold outside
So come on in
And warm yourself
In this Portuguese house
Sit here with me
at the fire
Lend your ear to
melodies of melancholy
Guitarristas play
The fadista sings
About a heart that burns,
that longs
A fire inside
that is so strong
It lights up true faces
As by the light
of a heart on fire
Only realness
does not get burned away

©RoseGirl2018

Picture: João Martins
“Fado Corrido” com Amália Rodrigues, 1964

Hold Up My Heart

Lisbon, February 13th

The sun meets me
Here on top of the hill
at the castle of
the brave knights
Past and present
dance together
In a fairy tale of
living happily ever after

The town down there
tells about the earthquake
Long time ago
That shook up its sight
destroyed its buildings
Though left its heart untouched
Fiercely the city has risen
from ashes of
fire and water
Passion faces forward
into new beginnings

And here above time
I hear the church bells ringing
See the clouds floating
And I step forward
To hold up my heart with pride

Since here in this town
By the grace of the Tagus
The sounds of fado
The smell of sardines
The taste of victory
I am happy
to have you in my heart

©RoseGirl2018

Lisbon By Night

Vibrating dark shines
its beauty
upon Portuguese streets
The wavy tiles
of Rossio square
let me flow
into the magic
of a city
that speaks
of love
The fountains sing
their water
up into the air
A winter night
in Lisbon
is a warm
glowing heart
underneath the stars
Heavenly I find
you in every corner
of this town

©RoseGirl2018

Love Doves

Is it true
that today
heaven’s blue looks
even bluer than blue?
And the houses of white
are brighter than bright?
People who pass by
give me their smile
And palm trees
of greenest green
wave excitedly at me
Doves do a love dance
Then go up into the sky
I let me,
let you go
Birds just need
to fly

©RoseGirl2017

Let’s Get Lost

Let’s get lost 
in the tales of 
this town
Let’s get lost 
in the maze of
our hearts,
In the space 
outside 
the map
Without anything to expect 
We’ll be surprised 
all the time
So let’s get lost 
in the streets of
this town
In your arms 
I want to be found

©RoseGirl2017

Lisboa, Queen Of My Heart

The blue sea smells of sardines
The land is scented with saudade
Waves of memories
roll towards me
I dance my way through Alfama
And will write my own history
Sounds of Fado take me with you
To comforting Portuguese ground
Into the heart of faith and fate
What will be will be
with no doubt

Let my tears merge
with the water of the Tagus
Let my soul flame o meu amor
I will be the queen of myself
On the hill in the castle
Ready to receive the king of my heart

Let me discover the truth of a treasure
I will embark the ship of my dreams
Let me raise my glass to good fortune
Let God be with me when I go overseas

Lisboa, city of light
Always have your arms wide open
To allow me to return back home
Though there can be stormy waters
I will never lose track of your shore

©RoseGirl2017

More Here Than Ever

This town here at the river breathes you
I follow the flow of the water
And I know it leads to you
The ships that are sailing by
Will they once return?
Will they come back to listen
To the story that still burns?

In these sunny streets I walk
Towards brightly missing you
The town holds all the tales
How I would long to tell you
The birds here sing your name
The crowded square looks empty
And the buildings lost their colours
Now they all look grey

Even though you’re not there
You’re more here
than you ever were

©RoseGirl2017