Once scorched to the ground,
Only embers left, sizzling; the steaming ruins of lives.
Like the phoenix it rose from the hot ashes,
Rebuilt itself from the inside out, refused to be forgotten.
A fire remained, burning stronger in its heart,
Propelling it onward to bigger, better.
Alive now more than ever.
From around the world people flock,
And with its wings spread wide, it took in all; city of cultures.
Today its grasp towers high and its streets pulse with life.
Industry, history, art, music and poetry boom through its veins.
A hub of modernity, not fanciful or ostentatious,
Made from bricks, earth and fire.
The Phoenix City; one that truly inspires.
By Claudine Geraghty
Written about the city of Coventry in England – with a City of Culture theme – for the CovWords Magazine’s ‘Little Book of Creative Writing’ 2020.
The Eleuther 