I wonder if the clouds
look down at the ocean shore
and sigh at their reflection aloud,
thinking their shade is such a bore.
Maybe they think they're too big too
And that the other clouds are prettier.
Maybe they wish to be another shade of blue,
and that they could be more linear.
I would find it pretty sad
if clouds thought like that.
And I'd think it pretty bad
if your thoughts had a similar impact.
By Mila Ottavini
Though I'm coming home
I know I'm leaving another
I'll think about you, Rome
And Naples you were like no other.
I won't forget you, my love, Capri,
And Venice I'll see you again.
To Lago di Garda I'll someday flee -
I'll just have to catch another airplane.
Porto San Giorgio, where I find my family,
A second home one might say.
Ancona, you felt like a fantasy -
Assisi, I wish I could stay.
Italy, I can feel you in my veins
Thank you for all that you've showed me.
To see you again - what a pleasure it would be.
By Mila Ottavini
you're more than something to write home about -
you're a never ending poem;
a song i can't get out of my head.
By Mila Ottavini
there's something about you,
that makes me incredibly nervous,
maybe I'll find my way to you -
I've only scratched the surface.
but something draws me closer,
maybe it's those ever-deep eyes,
or your incredible composure,
this could be paradise.
By Mila Ottavini
He kissed her under the full moon
And their bones turned back into dust
Their souls sang along to the same tune
And slowly into stars they began to adjust
By Mila Ottavini
I fell on my knees drained in tears,
in front of The One I call Father.
He instantly took away all my fears,
being far from Him, I would not rather.
He had this grace way of holding me,
that made me flee into His arms.
His sweet whispers set me free,
His love is far more precious than charms.
By Mila Ottavini
the devil knew exactly how
to keep me in the shadows
he made me focus on the now
hiding my eternity in the meadows
yet Jesus knew me even better
He took away my shameful past
and wrote inside my heart a letter
of a Kingdom with a grace so vast
By Mila Ottavini
i was filled with peace,
but this kind of peace was unknown -
in this moment:
the wild wind,
the fury friend running alongside me,
the waves crashing against my feet,
the sunset painting the sky,
it was all enough.
it was all enough.
because here i was,
alone and at peace,
and all i needed was what i had,
boundless grace surrounding me.
By Mila Ottavini
the girl with the red hair
teased as "carrot head" as an adolescent
yet admired for her shade as a youth
now her own self-accepting made progression
so she learnt her own truth
thus made with her vibrant red hair
through the poppies an affair
By Mila Ottavini
The only place my boat will ever want to sink its anchor – Struisbaai, Western Cape, South Africa.
I always thought that my love for Struisbaai stemmed from the people I had around me while I was there. Though the people were always lovely, they usually came and left, but my love for Struisbaai never changed. I realized for once that it was never the people, but it was the way I felt when I was there. It was the one place I had felt completely content in. I’ve always wondered why this small town near the Southern Tip of Africa gripped my heart so, and I’ve decided it will never be pin-pointed to an exact reason. Struisbaai took my heart in many ways and for many reasons.
It was the way you could always count on a pretty sky. Even if it was August and you had way too many jackets layered over each other – the clouds still had a mesmerizing way of looking like art. During hot summers the sunsets were always indescribably beautiful. But even if it was just a plain old bright blue sky – that was enough to make me thank God for His paintbrush.
It was also in the way I could walk for hours on end and never be bored – there was always something to see. Be it a man and a labrador sharing a two-man kayak or a group of sting rays at the harbor, Struisbaai had a way of being alive. Whether the beach was packed to its brim or completely barren – there was always something waiting to be seen.
It was all the places in proximity that left you wanting to discover more. L’Agulhas with it’s mountain hikes, the lighthouse, rock pools and the Southern Tip. Arniston having the most breathtaking sea caves. De Mond with water so clear that leads into the ocean along the longest beach in the Southern Hemisphere. All the surrounding farms waiting for their wine to be experienced and their food to be enjoyed. There was never a doubt in my mind that there was something waiting to be seen next.
It was how you could really be with people there. You could sit for hours in sea shack talking about anything and everything with your big sisters, parents or best friends. You could go to small bars and meet strange and wonderful new people, and maybe learn how to sokkie in between it all. Or you could just sit on the beach quietly without even saying anything – and that time spent together was more precious than anything.
I guess it all comes down to how I feel when I’m there. It’s cliché to say it feels like home, but it feels more like home than the area I’ve lived in for 18 years in my life ever has. I’ll always want to travel the world – this boat of mine wants to go many places. But that’s what home is – having a feeling so wholesome that no matter how many times your boat sets sail, you will always come back for that feeling.
By Mila Ottavini
