As a writer, I’m easily inspired. I can walk into a local coffee shop and spot a story. Sometimes, it’s the shiny-toothed exec who’s sharing a hot-chocolate with his preschooler on lunch break. Sometimes, it’s the impatient barista and my curiosity over what landed her in such a grumpy mood. Random passersby are always jumping at my imagination and morphing into characters in my novels.
My Italia
There is a piece of my heart that will always belong to you.
That small part of which remains in a moment On your mountain - dodging speeding cars and breathing polluted air On the street, lost in conversation with a stranger who is my family Drinking, dancing, laughing, Digging deep to release joy from the well of life inside of me Never sleeping, never forgetting, knowing that even when the time comes to say goodbye to you... I will still be there... a piece of me that is forever yours. You will find me at your sea - tossing pebbles into the clear blue water And breathing... finally.You with your desert landscape of dry dry mountains and thorny trees
Prickly pears, figs, and olives,
Animal smells and sounds,
Breath of petrol and cigarettes and unwashed bodies.
Fast cars and slow mornings.
You with your clear blue sea.
Pebble marks embedded into my skin.
The smell of sleep and fish and salt and
Black coffee, oozing with foam in the afternoon,
The sensation of breathing out, finally.
You with your stranger smiling faces,
Outstretched arms and ears yearning for conversation.
Wrinkled greetings, broken teeth, dirty fingernails.
Something is familiar here…
Acceptance and love by association…
Because I have my great-great-grandmother’s nose
So you love me already for this.
You with your sleepless nights
Concentrated life, vibrant and fully felt.
Wine after wine, food after food, dancing until the noise cannot be discerned
Is it laughter from my lips or is it music?
And on and on it plays until the sweaty sunrise brings silence once and for all.
And yet, I cannot sleep in the quiet.
The heat bubbles on my skin.
I am wet with sweat and with the still excitement for one more day with you
You with your mysterious pull on my heart.
That small part of which remains in a moment
On your mountain –dodging cars and breathing polluted air
On the street – lost in conversation with a stranger who is my family
Drinking, dancing, laughing
Digging deep to release joy from the well of life inside of me
Never sleeping, never forgetting, knowing that even when the time comes to say goodbye to you…
I will still be there… a piece of me that is forever yours.
You will find me at your sea, tossing pebbles into the clear blue water,
And breathing… finally.