• About
  • Photos

nearly30yearsitalian

~ Daily observations of life in Rome and further afield from a single, working mother either entirely competent or confused in two languages, two cultures, at least two mindsets.

nearly30yearsitalian

Tag Archives: Aperitivi

In My Square

14 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by nearly30yearsitalian in Verse

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Aperitivi, Men, Poetry, rome, Summer, Women

There is a man
in my square.
He saunters, he struts,
he stares.

Dressed in white with gold Ray Bans –
the 70s kind that make you cringe –
his steps are fueled by his attention binge.

I can see him sprawled out on his wedding bed
his mind and his body filled with heated dread
following his afternoon sleep brought on by pasta and wine
as he begins to rise, rubbing his creased, sweat-filled brow with scratchy white linen.

He smokes, a cigarette dangles from his loose lips.
His head darts, skimming the Foschi crowd at aperitivi time.
He salutes with a hand held close to his hip
Or waves slightly more animatedly with a wink of an eye.
But then, just then, he catches her eye
And off with a cinematic swoop come the gilded Ray-Bans,
His cigarette drops and is squished by his outdated, pointy-toed, summer lace-ups.

Buona sera, bella,
His eyes dancing up and down and up with a pinpointed scan,
How gorgeous we are tonight, he hums
And they scan once again.

And along comes his wife with the gorgeous green hair.
How stark the distinction between brainless and smart,
How completely ridiculous he seems playing his part.
And with grace and confidence she takes her leave
While he trails after, a tiny boy in an ill-fitting linen suit.

Advertisement

Nuances Toiling in Rome Verse

adolescence adolescenza anthropology of food Aperitivi aventine bambini crescono cross-cultural communication ex-pat ex-pats Facebook food food culture gender relations girl power images immigration italian food Italian hairdressers italian regional identity italy lifegate radio Living abroad London loss love Men migration nostalgia Nuances palatine poesia Poetry prima repubblica raising children roma rome Seta poetry poesia short fiction sprezzatura storytelling strikes Summer taxi driver the other the way things were Toiling in Rome traffic trains treni Women women's rights women's safety women power

Blogroll

  • Get Support
  • Alberto Corbino, Writer
  • Get Polling
  • Get Inspired
  • Paul Damon Rocchio, Artist
  • WordPress Planet
  • Alberto Corbino, Economist
  • Giovanni Nuti One of my heroes
  • Fabio Barilari – A favorite contemporary artist and architect Beautiful and insightful paintings and drawings by a most insightful contemporary Roman artist and architect!
  • Christopher Winner's Fabulous Magazine
  • Basilio Santoro A most sensitive interpreter of the human experience and Italianita’. A profound musical, theatrical, literary, political and social mirror. A brilliant spirit.
  • Learn WordPress.com
  • Lifegate People Planet Profit The perfect fusion of zero impact thinking, commercial free, independent radio, arts and thoughts. Inspiring and Brilliant!
  • David Rocchio Daily Life in Northern US
  • WordPress.com News
  • FAB Photographer Wendy Lombardo, Photographer/Portrait Artist
  • Discuss

Recent Posts

  • The Oyster Chairs
  • Nothing Happened
  • Taxi!
  • Preface to the exhibition: A Roman Experience, Reflections on Immigration, Isolation, Otherness
  • Separation Anxiety

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 21 other subscribers
February 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  
« Dec    

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • nearly30yearsitalian
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • nearly30yearsitalian
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar