traffic in Italy

in Venice, long, slender, black gondolas

each with distinctive hood ornament

pole-oared on one side only

with such skill the length turned corners

with bare inch and a half to spare

and slipped beside one another and other water traffic as jaw-droppingly as

street traffic and pedestrians in Rome

            mjNordgren  12/21/2022 Splendid Venice Hotel

asset among the ruins

Italians living among old, ancient

and modern gaining perspective

of ancestors who struggled

triumphed and failed

lived lives of human mortals

knowing the world that was

and not to take themselves as unique

or more seriously than they are worth           

mjNordgren  12/20/2022  Splendid Venice Hotel

Napoli

view from high up narrow

twisted streets to encompass

the entire bay with the castle

in the middle of the sea

marina for yachts and, beyond,

berthed cruise liners and freights

of enormous size

and across the waters, Mt. Vesuvius

“our father, our protector

and our killer”

The Vatican’s summer palace

summer palace, guest house behind

Italian brick wall – opulent, as befits

the greatest landowner and receiver

of gifts to honor deity

one elected after another and another

for centuries and still grand in power

and influence as supreme for millions

ceilings arching to sixty meters and more

painted, arched, frescoed, gilded

long corridors extended, side-roomed

elegantly lined with exquisite statues

and floored with patterned, ancient marble

                        mjNordgren  12/17/2022  Rome

inn at spanish steps

Inn at Spanish Steps

with tall floor 0, small, creaky

elevator with metal cage

and inner doors

narrow halls with angles

bathrooms lined with marble

windows looking out on leaning

cheek-by-jowl multi-story houses

in the Prada Building sourrounded

by tiny shops of name-brand glitter narrow streets crowded with double

parked cars and pedestrians walking

in front of, behind and both sides

of darting traffic

a plaza at the base of the incredible steps

a gold Christmas tree at the landing

and thick-walled church at the top

Rome!

                      mjNordgren  12/16/2022  room 808

landing in Italy

setting down out of the clouds

we had our first glimpse

of the sea edge of Italy’s knee

fields of intermingled oblongs

of field, a few guarded by hedges

and December-green trees

and thick-walled, multi-story

farmhouses picturesque as antique

oil paintings anticipating our adventure in Rome

share and share never alike

how do i share feelings

that touch me most

when i’d need also to share

the deep impressions

prejudices and nuances

that have tempered me

all my life?

or is there a basic being

we all share

however individually?

valley cumulus

 clouds trapped between the hills

create fog in the valleys

but whisper peace to those

who look over from above

but fear to tread

coping

courage under pain

calm while acknowledging fear

willingness to take one day

at a time in order to heal

emerging

 gentle chat and chuckles

as my daughter emerges

from anesthesia

expertly poisoned to sleep

through surgery pain

morning after

morning after

pines still after a night of rain

drops coalescing at needle tips

and dropping one by scattered one

as the wind, tired, subsides

long term project

push and pull of commitments

unsettle toward anxiety

learning to find peace within self

needs self-discipline

and acceptance of failures

how much more difficult then

peace in the world

theron

i asked for help understanding

from a man raised in a different

culture, a worldview i do not grasp

for my characters are men

of that tradition and i want them

to be true to what they believe

not caricatures from my prejudice

my friend answered with a book

of his own with depth of finding

self in the tradition of battle

so foreign to his own sense of being

december’s first

white bits so small, not qualifying

as flakes but mere sparkles

but persistent

white bits joining, growing, falling

as snowy individuals causing

raised eyebrows in surprise

then frowns of scrutiny to be sure

then smiles and whispers of discovery

as neighbor tells neighbor

“It’s snowing!”

bereft

the ache of old friends dying

surrounded by love and family

how can we console young men

who have watched comrades

torn apart in distant battles

and pretend they should return

to ‘normal’ without our understanding

not above question

at 34000 feet the clouds a fleecy blanket

moon-enchanted to pearly gray-white

Mt. Jefferson a looming black triangle

penetrating the woof and weave

occasional eerie glows haunt the pattern

as cities’ fear to yield to night’s darkness

pierces what Nature had enjoyed for eons

human ingenuity using energy against

what has long sufficed for uncertain gain

unico resort

 rounded brown agouti

supper-handout-seeking raccoon

sneak-under-napkin, snack-snitching crow

torpid, reminder-of-dinosaurs iguana

many non-paying fellow guests

here south of cancun

moment seized

bird of prey sharp brown-black

against incessant blue Mexican sky intent in flight, seeking life

in the varied green-blue waters below

dives suddenly from outspread wings

to compact missile hitting the water

and rising, dripping, with fish in talons, heavy, writhing prey brings

the bird nearly back into the gulf

but, shuddering off excess water

strong wings carry off trophy  

moment of struggle spelling life

and death, repeated endlessly over eons

pelican over Tulum

angular hieroglyph above Mayan ruins

juts forth its distended jaw

extending in sharp angles

then compacting again as though

it will dive on unsuspecting prey

but, deciding otherwise, stretches

out once more and flaps full wings

devouring a path in the sky

a Swedish Proverb

 I'd like to share with you a Swedish proverb that I found inspirational. 

"Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours."

A simple recipe for a better life. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!