Our town of Sparta has a distinctive history,
But not what thee may think of in my analogy.
Our Greek sister-state was a warrior society,
Ruled by elders and two kings an oligarchy.
Now its antithesis was Athens, a democracy
And center of the arts and intellectuality.
Spartans were proud of their unique physical cult culture;
Athenians with their philosophy and literature.
But our Sparta and environs are a dichotomy,
Excelling in sports and the arts competitively.
With “progressive” and “conservative” governmental thought,
Living and working peacefully together as we ought.
But our Greek city-states destroyed each other in war,
A lesson for our democracy we should not ignore!
George Kibildis
Sparta