Mdina, Saturday 15th April 2023
I follow a friendly cat down the path lined with bushes
On my right, a cockerel crows loudly, hidden from sight
I enter a still place
St. Agatha’s place
Light floods in through a glass door onto the marble surface
A bird coos gently somewhere in the distance
Time stops here
I feel at peace. This is my sanctuary
I sit on a bench opposite that blazing door
And I gaze at the church on my left
Who knows what these walls have seen
After a while, an elderly man hobbles up to the door
Brings out a large, heavy key from his pocket
And enters
Oh how I would love to enter
To explore and to delight in the rich history and beauty inside
But I sit on my bench
I close my eyes and hear the wind rustle through the bushes opposite
The stairs leading down to the tomb of St Agatha are on my right
How I long to tread those stairs
To unlock the door at the bottom of them
And enter
Tonight, I will come here
I will sit on this bench and contemplate
While the air that was once warm turns cold
And I wrap my cardigan tighter around me
Marsaxlokk, Sunday 16th April 2023
Market place. A happy place
People munching pastries: pistachio and Nutella cannoli, fruit buns
Mum buys me an imqaret, a fig roll- soft and sticky and sweet
In the square, a table full of youths in pink and blue shirts and swimming trunks- a waiter carries a plate piled high with bruschetta
People sitting on multi coloured benches looking out at multi coloured boats
Poofy white clouds in the bright blue sky
A little boy playing with the yellow toy bus his grandmother just bought him
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