poetry — giornale di barganews

From the Olivetto

On a clear cold November morning Past the centuries old Stone hearth still Down the broken stone road Over which pilgrims passed In the grove The plum purple olives fall In nets smoothed like bedspreads The sun warms our backs The penultimate picked or Vibrated The flavor of warm fresh oil on our lips With the last lonesome olive A kiss A poem for Barga – Janis MackayLa scrittrice Sonia Maria Ercolini ha vinto il premio per la sua poesieThe [...]

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11/28/2010 11:05 pm

The other side of the story

Yes The sunset was Spectacular The reclining figure’s forehead Was on fire And There was a patch Of pure blue Through a kaleidoscope Of white cotton batting But the story Was to the south Of the valley Where blueprint blue clouds Were suspended In a hologram Under the deep blue sea That this once...

05/15/2010 8:51 am

Bewitched

The splash of tires On rain slick roads Through tunnels Of light green And wet black Invited Enticed Enthralled By water laden high grass Crimson clover Salvia and buttercup Along the populist parade route To this emerald city From the OlivettoA poem for Barga – Janis MackayLa scrittrice Sonia...

12/08/2009 1:00 am

"Doppio dell'Immacolata" – the bells, the bells.

The traditional religious festival of the Immaculate Conception, held every year on the eighth of December would not be complete in Barga without the sound of the bells in the Duomo ringing out over the city for one solid hour – the so called “Doppio dell’Immacolata” and last...

10/26/2009 12:00 pm

Leaving

Be Gone You have no power here All warm glow and gold Your beauty Leaves me cold (more…)

09/02/2009 7:13 am

Transition

Awash in melancholy autumn light I wash the linens of ten beds and As I practice the Zen Of swimming pool maintenance The water still feels like liquid summer Silk satin sheets

03/04/2009 12:13 pm

Spring II

Decomposing leaves And bare branches Turn russet in the rain Discouragement And disillusion try To maintain a foothold A bird chirps A cat pules A bud emerges

01/30/2009 12:46 am

Words

To one Carry the weight Of The Maltese Falcon To another The elegance Of the crane Or to some Only the substance Of a feather Floating on your breath

12/04/2008 12:35 pm

Winter

Dark bristles on the light hide of a boar’s back of a mountain side the boar roots through bristles of chestnut hulls and hides Cold leaves me ravenous rootless I bristle and look for sustenance and find it in the mountain sides

10/27/2008 11:21 pm

Tiglio Alto to Monte Forato

ancient cart wheels abandoned on their sides on the valley floor their spokes splintered engaged covered in moss and vines and stones the ground is obscured by morning mist in the distance an upturned skull is dormant against the sky as though a step through the fog to the far bank is to leave the past...

09/21/2008 4:17 pm

Harvest

In the middle of the night In the middle Of the window Stunned still Its glare floods The furrows Of the pillow Turn There are dreams to reap For the long winter ahead

09/02/2008 3:43 pm

The Reckoning

Assiduously avoiding all signs of fall I am savoring every flavor Of this most beautiful summer Hoarding the treasure like a thief Figs bursting like a jewel box Amethyst plums in my pockets Like a party crasher I devour everything at the banquet Warm ruby ripe tomatoes basil and balsamic Salty emerald...

07/30/2008 4:25 pm

Perspective

Looking out Over a vast network Of mountain ridges Covered by dense forest Distant peaks Deep valleys Looking back On unexplored paths Bewildering intersections Irretrievable trails Breath taking climbs To summits Of heart rending beauty And slow arduous descents Looking in To find a vantage point

06/27/2008 12:44 pm

Muses

In the just cool Of a late June evening You drive down the long hill They stand on the street Tall, lean, beckoning With long limbs There’s a definite Buzz about them You’re captivated By their intoxicating fragrance Fascinated with Dripping yellow diamond Chandelier earrings And conquered By...

05/30/2008 12:40 am

Scents and Sensibility

The first hot Summer-like day I walk the Tiglio Road Through dense humid acacia Clover and elderflower air Like stepping into a shower In any one of the many houses In which I have lived Or stayed Full with sense and sensitivity To smell the soapy steam Someone has just left

03/30/2008 8:24 pm

A Flame Within

A blood orange sun hovers Behind buildings Anchored in an icy sea A boat races through cold air Away from the ancient city Past tall villas Flames engulf interiors Raging window to window A heart races Thumbs part Nostrils flare Soft liquid flesh yields A spritz of bittersweet Blood orange

03/10/2008 7:33 am