When in Rome.....
(The famous Fountain of Trevi in Rome. Legend has it if you throw a coin over your left shoulder it will guarantee your return to Rome. Legend also has it that the entire Italian Socialized Health System is financed from here. For more see http://goitaly.about.com/cs/rome/a/trvi.htm)
Boy in Roman Metro
(Written 2.18.2003 on the back of a beverage napkin as I sipped a Campari at a cafe terrace on the Piazza Venezia after a job interview. I didn't get the job.)
The graffiti covered electric doors slam shut
and the hiss of the air breaks fill the cabin
as the Metro pulls away from the station
leaving huffing passengers fuming at being two seconds too late.
“Buon Giorno tutti!” a teenage boy exuberantly shouts
to all inside who pretend not to hear.
He produces a worn accordion gently held together
with various kinds of tape peeling from the edges
and proceeds to roughly bang on the dingy keys.
He is short and dirty
but through the contrast of his dark eyes and skin
with the whiteness of his teeth
shines a bright halo around his tired face.
The Metro lumbers along on its pliant metal tracks
struggling to go airborne and fly away
from this ancient city of Caesars and Gypsies.
The music continues on
broken yet melodic
drowning out the rhythmic thump of the train
through the intense effort of the boy
pumping furiously at the keys
as if the Metro’s power was dependent on him.
The passengers seated and standing around him stare at the floor
expressionless, lost in their thoughts,
afraid to expose their humanity to the world.
Especially, they dare not look at the boy
for fear of seeing themselves reflected in his face.
The emotion and passion in his fervent playing
stirs none of the motionless forms.
No one smiles or looks up as he finishes his haunting tune
and deftly moves though the cabin soliciting payment for his effort.
They are all already dead
hopes and aspirations for a richer life of happiness
as empty and battered as the tattered cup
he extends for a few small pieces of change.
The air hisses loud again and the trains lurches to a sudden halt.
“Grazie tutti” he exclaims with a sincere smile.
Doors reopen, people push solemnly in both directions
and the boy is gone.
Boy in Roman Metro
(Written 2.18.2003 on the back of a beverage napkin as I sipped a Campari at a cafe terrace on the Piazza Venezia after a job interview. I didn't get the job.)
The graffiti covered electric doors slam shut
and the hiss of the air breaks fill the cabin
as the Metro pulls away from the station
leaving huffing passengers fuming at being two seconds too late.
“Buon Giorno tutti!” a teenage boy exuberantly shouts
to all inside who pretend not to hear.
He produces a worn accordion gently held together
with various kinds of tape peeling from the edges
and proceeds to roughly bang on the dingy keys.
He is short and dirty
but through the contrast of his dark eyes and skin
with the whiteness of his teeth
shines a bright halo around his tired face.
The Metro lumbers along on its pliant metal tracks
struggling to go airborne and fly away
from this ancient city of Caesars and Gypsies.
The music continues on
broken yet melodic
drowning out the rhythmic thump of the train
through the intense effort of the boy
pumping furiously at the keys
as if the Metro’s power was dependent on him.
The passengers seated and standing around him stare at the floor
expressionless, lost in their thoughts,
afraid to expose their humanity to the world.
Especially, they dare not look at the boy
for fear of seeing themselves reflected in his face.
The emotion and passion in his fervent playing
stirs none of the motionless forms.
No one smiles or looks up as he finishes his haunting tune
and deftly moves though the cabin soliciting payment for his effort.
They are all already dead
hopes and aspirations for a richer life of happiness
as empty and battered as the tattered cup
he extends for a few small pieces of change.
The air hisses loud again and the trains lurches to a sudden halt.
“Grazie tutti” he exclaims with a sincere smile.
Doors reopen, people push solemnly in both directions
and the boy is gone.
posted by EuroSnob | 1:21 PM
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