Heavy as earth, light as straw

You thought it would be different.

More eye-catching? Like athletes

are welcomed in their hometown

when they have won a gold medal

at the most recent Olympic games?

More melodramatic? Like actors

respond when at the end of the play

loved ones fall in their fiery arms?

You woke up from daydreaming,

but everything seems to be as it is.

The canals with the cloudy water,

houses with their shiny roof tiles.

The men with their precious cars,

women with their thoughtful looks.

The children who have received

a pot-bellied pig on their birthday.

And yet, this world is not the one

you still remember: wintry, woeful.

The clouds are softer, the sun is

humming pop songs, oak trees bath

in sweet light, waiters ask if you

would like something to drink,

sleepy tourists wearing straw hats.

You realize: this is the first time

days feels like amiable soulmates.