An Unnamed Road in Tuscany

a butterfly breeze-tumbles
beneath a curved branch
an ochre-colored fortress
of circling buildings
sits on a flat-topped mountain
the birds sound like frogs
the insects sound like birds
the slender leaves and the fruit
of the olive trees give them a look
of decoration
everybody's waiting for rain

Day & Nights Italia

1000 YEARS

Tree with an ancient trunk
Split gnarled curled
An ant descending
A mountain behind
Still grows
Branches draped
With olives and moss

MONTEGIOVI

stars seen through
the space between
the cypress

dogs bark
crickets chirp
a window creaks open

three olive trees
shimmer green
in a field

their shape rounded
like sea urchins
perched on a reef

a road coils
upward to a yellow
tower on a hill

three cats
are under the stairs
eyes glowing

ROMA, MONTEGIOVI

music
in kitchens
on motorbikes
italian
reggaeton
bachata
jukebox songs
in restaurant
in tuscany town
stone churches
shadow cats
cypresses sending green
heavenward
Ana y Johnny
"Io ti amerò"
b/w
Bob Dylan
dal LP
Street Legal
"Changing the Guards"

 ROMA, MIA ROMA

the arches, the marble, the churches, the towers, the portals, the fountains, the old gods, the new gods, the windows of shoes-suits-ties-gloves-coats-shirts, the yellows the blues the rose the beige the black, the pink clouds of dusk, the blue dome of the night sky, the chittering insects, the strutting pigeons, the chairs the tables on cobblestone, the running underground spiring water on tap in an wall, the steam, the espresso machine, the italian, the brazilian portuguese, the spanish, the english, all spoken all sent out into the night air

AN UNNAMED ROAD IN TUSCANY

a butterfly breeze-tumbles
beneath a curved branch
an ochre-colored fortress
of circling buildings
sits on a flat-topped mountain
the birds sound like frogs
the insects sound like birds
the slender leaves and the fruit
of the olive trees give them a look
of decoration

everybody's waiting for rain 

ROMA ELASTICA

Say three tall panels
In a field
Of burnt scrub grass
Along the road
From the airport
An office complex
The shape of a castle
Made of blocks
Sits on a hill
Overlooking parched fields
Mechanics' shops
Parking lots for roadside eats
Suddenly wide letters
Jump out into space
JOS! GAF! (a big head
With big teeth & eyebrows
In black & white)
BONCO!
The message could be
From the walls and pillars
Along the train tracks
Of Chicago
Sent and received
We enter the city
Via del Corso
And walk to the wide
Piazza del Popolo
A strong god watching over
A fountain with more gods
A obelisk 60 feet high
Covered in hieroglyphics
Rises skyward
On its top
A cross within a circle

ROMA ELASTICA

 

Say three tall panels
In a field
Of burnt scrub grass
Along the road
From the airport
An office complex
The shape of a castle
Made of blocks
Sits on a hill
Overlooking parched fields
Mechanics' shops
Parking lots for roadside eats
Suddenly wide letters
Jump out into space
JOS! GAF! (a big head
With big teeth & eyebrows
In black & white)
BONCO!
The message could be
From the walls and pillars
Along the train tracks
Of Chicago
Sent and received
We enter the city
Via del Corso
And walk to the wide
Piazza del Popolo
A strong god watching over
A fountain with more gods
A obelisk 60 feet high
Covered in hieroglyphics
Rises skyward
On its top
A cross within a circle

Roma, Montegiovi

 

music
in kitchens
on motorbikes
italian
reggaeton
bachata
jukebox songs
in restaurant
in tuscany town
stone churches
shadow cats
cypresses sending green
heavenward
Ana y Johnny
"Io ti amerò"
b/w
Bob Dylan
dal LP
Street Legal
"Changing the Guards"

Roma, Mia Roma

 

the arches, the marble, the churches, the towers, the portals, the fountains, the old gods, the new gods, the windows of shoes-suits-ties-gloves-coats-shirts, the yellows the blues the rose the beige the black, the pink clouds of dusk, the blue dome of the night sky, the chittering insects, the strutting pigeons, the chairs the tables on cobblestone, the running underground spiring water on tap in a wall, the steam, the espresso machine, the italian, the brazilian portuguese, the spanish, the english, all spoken all sent out into the night air

Montegiovi

 

stars seen through
the space between
the cypress

dogs bark
crickets chirp
a window creaks open

three olive trees
shimmer green
in a field

their shape rounded
like sea urchins
perched on a reef

a road coils
upward to a yellow
tower on a hill

three cats
are under the stairs
eyes glowing

Cream Colored Guitar

 

he told me he got his tone
his sustain listening
to John Mayall & the Blues Breakers
in his parents' house
in the U.P.
and the black wax spun
on the spindle
and his spindly fingers
gripped the neck
and bent the strings
as the ice floes creaked
outside the windows
on the mighty lake
the color of stone
and I heard him
in milwaukee
30 years ago
on a cream colored strat
in a second-floor apartment
overlooking
a lilac tree
in bloom