Poem of Lefkes
Paros, Greece, 2016


A meditation on the rhythms, shapes, patterns, and soundscapes of a small village on a Greek island. Inhabited since before 2400 BC, Lefkes was a hub of commerce during the Byzantine period, and served as capital of Paros during the Middle Ages. Now a village of 500 inhabitants perched on the side of a mountain overlooking the distant sea. Daily walks at dawn explore the character and memory embedded in the intertwined dwellings. Stone walkways and stairs meander through the village connecting shady plazas with small chapels, while open doorways lead to abandoned courtyards, simple homes, and small workshops.

The poem explores the intimate curves and crevices sculpted amongst neighbors over generations responding to the suggestions of the landscape. These handcrafted living environments, rooted in daily needs, provide a distinct contrast to our contemporary ways of living and relating to space and time, which have given way to planned urban designs, the interests of commerce, the straight lines of linear progressions, and efficient systems of control.