like really together
the wine from their glasses all of the same jar
binding each person as if by blood –
and suddenly I’m there too.
The cool summer breeze wafts the scent of fragrant fields
across the space
I’m carried in a whirlwind of sounds
of smells and flavors
of life
lifted clean off my feet and transported into this other world
this place where people eat together.
The fragrant damp of the river at night embraces me,
and nestled within the folds of the Umbrian foothills
I am shaded
by the ancient spirit of this place of awe.
Clitumnus invites me to partake of his delights –
the fresh springs sustaining the purest sacrifices of old
the olive trees standing gnarled in all their wisdom
the geraniums in every window sill.
I hide myself behind the curtain of the willow tree
that grows on the side of the mountain
I kiss the leaves
and ask the Universe how I could be so blessed
to see such a place as this.
I see history through the cracks in the walls
of Lombard sanctuaries and Gothic churches,
these testaments to the power of place
to inspire awe
to transport minds
to draw together all these people
these people who truly eat together.
by