ROME STREET LIFE... (My poem about Rome's streets during my only visit in 2004...)

 Rome Street Life…

Cobbled alleys.

Via this, via that.

Fancy names

Like Piazza s. Pietro

Or maybe di Cornetto.

Narrow, maze-like,

Orange walls rising

To where the sun shone

And pigeons roosted

And people placed

Terracotta pots and plants.

Or perhaps even a bike.

Rugged alleys.

Tables here, tables there.

Romantic names

Like Albergo Cesare

Or even Albruzzi.

Windows louvred, shuttered,

Plastered walls climbing

To where the warmth hovered

And roofs hid

And respite was had.

Terracotta red looked alarmingly rusted,

And the insides rather cluttered.

Clogged alleys.

Waiters touting, waiters serving.

Smart uniforms

Like soldiers of the palate

Or maybe slaves to the Euro.

Smiles ready, rehearsed,

Leaning walls reaching

To where the silence sheltered

And noise lessened

And screams faded.

Terracotta tiles and facades peered down

And somehow cursed.

Blocked alleys.

Trash deposited, trash strewn.

Bulbous bags

Like sleeping tramps

Or even plagued bodies,

Abandoned by life.

Cold walls grasping

For where garbage wasn’t

And the stench eased

And the clamour subsided.

Terracotta eyes and memories echoed

Roma’s historical strife…

Pete Ray

Rome during my only visit in 2004…

I loved it.