Pristine Sistine: at the Vatican
I walked and walked through halls of wonder
til at last I reached the end
where God’s own voice resounds like thunder
from images well known as friends
In awe beneath that gorgeous ceiling
sequestered as a holy choice
overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings
brought back to earth by recorded noise
Quiet! and No pictures, please!
Loudly they remind, again:
they’re watching, they are not our friends
Security, so ill at ease,
the crowd, while vibrantly bedazzled
makes preservation’s efforts frazzled
Dinner
A balmy night in lovely Roma
with hungry bellies we sat down
and promptly proceeded to drown
in courses vast as we had known
Eating well beyond our quota
dessert was offered as the crown:
chocolate morsels, rich and brown
Tummies strained at each iota
At ten o’clock, our meal complete,
in came a family to begin
the panoply of kitchen jinns
Pizza, pasta, and meaty feats
paraded to their tabel’s head,
while we went home and straight to bed
Continuing right along with inspiration courtesy of Mary Oliver’s Poetry Handbook – AND the companion book, Rules for the Dance, which deals specifically with metered verse – I came across the Italian Sonnet and of course had to give it a try. I am a big fan of sonnets in general, especially since I find them such a challenge.
Not really having any idea what to write about, I decided to turn my attention to my memories from the trip to Rome I made in 2003; this seemed fitting for an Italian sonnet! I made a few attempts, and at first I got carried away with my thoughts and neglected to follow the form correctly. Sometimes it’s helpful to write the desired rhyme scheme in the margin!
Thank you for reading! There’s another Italian sonnet on my Medium page, and I will be sharing a couple more here eventually.
The Poetry Patio 