The town of Lisbon, unsurprisingly,
is Porto’s rival; their geographic closeness
creates shared qualities. Both coastal cities
boast neighborhoods whose snaking alleys, fading
ochre facades, and ancient churches breathe
medieval histories. While Gaia’s banks
are lined with port-maturing lodges, Lisbon
is home to fado’s melancholic airs,
performed in living room-sized restaurants
that fill bellies with lore and steamed white fish.
Just off of bumpy, cobbled roads, cape-clad
tunas strum folk tunes till the city glows
with nightlife’s neon signage. Navy-black
skies yield to dawn. Dense fog creeps in beside
the trams whose nineteenth-century routes remain
unchanged. The Tagus flows seaward as always.