By Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes

SYNTAGMA SQUARE

Today
there was no teargas in Syntagma Square
just tears swallowed by the austere protest
of laid off workers
forced to lie all night
outside sleeping churches

No loud speakers
just nails hammered into stone
by the old guards’ shoes
guarding the cenotaph beneath parliament

The unknown soldier
is no longer shielded by anonymity

It’s difficult to find anyone in Greece
who doesn’t know the name
of a man    or woman
who has fought the indignity of a death
by a thousand cuts
until their bodies were buried
and bled through
the marble heart of democracy

Note: Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) is the heart of Athens. It is the location of the Parliament building and the Greek tomb of the unknown soldier. In recent years it has been a place of protests over the financial crisis that continues to cut workers’ wages and pensions. The protests sometimes erupts into violence between police and demonstrators.

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Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes

Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes was born and raised in San Diego, California. He attended Herbert Hoover High School and went on to study Religion and Theology at the University of San Diego. His book Intimate Geography, published by Ragged Sky Press, won the 2012 San Diego Book Award for Poetry. Ish, as he is known, has also written lyrics for German musicians Andrea Hörkens and Thomas Roderburg (Tender Art).

Latest posts by Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes (see all)

• Word’s Out | Geo-Poetic Spaces - December 14, 2018
• Political Love Affair | Geo-Poetic Spaces - December 7, 2018
• Deer Tracks | Geo-Poetic Spaces - November 30, 2018