June 26: Goodbye, Michaelis

Yamas, Michaelis

I am sure they have ouzo

in heaven

although I am not sure

if there are donkeys or any horses

grazing above the clouds

You embraced life as a free man

loving donkeys, horses and women

You were always full of crazy stories

to celebrate life and friendship

while your Greek heart

could not beat without music

and dancing

as long as something was in the glass

and the table surrounded by company

You kept on smiling

whenever crisis or human disaster struck

you would fill a glass

raise it to heaven and challenge the gods

in order to drink to a happy life

you thought that lasted forever

and then you danced the night away

Your donkeys known by the entire village

in the winter finding their food in mountains and emptying my garden

in the summer carrying the weight of tourists

while you taught them how to live as a Greek,

enjoy sun, water, food and Ambrosia

I am sure you took everything

life offered you

and now it is time

to give back that free life you lived

to rest in heaven

where you probably will raise your glass once more:

Yamas, Michaelis!