Venice – a draft

Sumptuous sea city
           haunts the mind
built out of nothing
           translucent waters
turned to stone
           turned to energy
essence of light
           refracted through glass
through sand and water
           light filtering light
web of untold hours solidified
           bedded down
on the sea floor
           arrested in luminous reliefs
etched into the air
           space and time
displaced
           wisdom of the owl
ferocity of the lion
           beauty at any price

John Lyons