I don’t write in a journal everyday, but I have accumulated many entries over the past 50+ years beginning in 1966. Some items evolved into longer works. Among the leftovers little pieces survived. I thought a collection of these with a piece culled from the same date in a past year would make an interesting yearbook. The consistencies and inconsistencies of mind, skipping back and forth across time, provide varied perspectives. It is difficult to remember the context of the past we’ve lived; we also make suppositions about times that predate ourselves.

The few alterations from original drafts were to improve clarity. The worst of my work is not included. There remains enough mediocrity and immaturity to make me feel humble and you feel smart. There are also moments of accidental insight and incidental humor.

Author Stephen Crane referred to his little pieces as pills…apparently they were small and somewhat hard to swallow, but good for you.


Comments Welcome!

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Non Parla L’Italiano

 

December 28, 1998  (I was 55) 

 

         Non Parla L’Italiano

The scattered sensibilities of long-distance travel

renewed realization that no one anywhere

speaks guide-book-slow

even the most obvious spoken words

are dialectically enunciated into in-coherence

In the fatigue and frustration

street signs disappear

behind ads cars people and onto buildings

Even compact luggage weighs heavy on the hip

while Rick Stev-ing the train and the metro

Immediate paranoia and embarrassment of cultural ignorance

Suspicions of being gypped because money

costs more than you think it does

eventually begins to yield to accommodations found

comfortable and reasonable and patient direction

a good meal and rest

Tomorrow we will not be tourists

We will be citizens of Roma

SPQR

Posted by at
Labels: ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)