red roses shiver in the dusty breeze.
Tropical light filters the air and weaves
into the ancients songs sung
by silver tongues.
Poverty-
cold and brutal
like a knife,
digging into the warm flesh that is love
And life.
Though their songs merry and cheery
played upon by the innocence of laughter.
Each of their bellies is starved.
Toddlers deprived of milk.
Cheese 10 euros for a pound.
Tomatoes blister and burn heavy in the sun,
but where they should be plucked by strangers hands
or a hard-earned meal
They line the shelves
at cost
Sweet Maria,
you have disappeared
No longer blessing us with your angel kiss
And where God may be,
in these times
Flowers and tulips alike
cannot calm the raging storms
And the relentless tragedy inside of us
Italy is sold!
Sold to the Devil in the white shirt
Can I bid higher?
To the banks you say?
I don’t see why not!
We thought it was going okay
A politician with a pretty face
wanted change
But now he’s gone
and has been replaced
by the sincerity that is ‘democracy’
Oh, heavens above!
The children starve-
drop-dead like flies
Each only lives for a day
Our tears to drink
Our hope to eat-
our nourishment
is our grief
How divine
bread and wine!
So long the taste of sweetness
may fall upon my lips
Run down my throat as soft as honey
The only honey we can share
is each other’s
withered kiss
Arrivederci to the good times
The mountains of Tuscany
The rivers and the lakes
are off-limits
To the peasants of the game
Please
What have you done?
The reincarnation of evil
your smile is all the evidence
Of your sinister
agenda
It’s World War 2
All over again
How did it all start?
Carry me away!
Far from here
Bury me down
on a mountain
with the trees
I want to be away
from humanity.
I can hear their boots
And their rasps
on my door
The military
come to kill us
with their batons
A thump
And I drop to the floor
I feel myself
slipping away
My throat is parched
I can’t hear their words.
So many have been slayed
I am yet another
on that pile of corpses
Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust
The empire of the past
is back
from the dead.
I thought that the bad times
Had gone stale
And had been burnt away
by hope's grim light
and education
But now smiling faces
and battle-cries
can't beat the lethal sword that is
night's frozen darkness
and sinister lies.
Goodbye life
And love
Peace has gone
Resurrected only
By long lost smiles
Instead anger
Fills the expressions
Of our people
And guns
In their hands
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139,389 Literary Works • 672,542 Reviews
Wow. I've been following your poetry because it's very vivid and beautifully written, but this work stands out to me so much for its content and its heartfelt feeling. In some places it really feels like a chorus of people crying out, especially your fifth and eighth stanzas. There's so many different voices in your poem, and you've melded them so well, contrasting a longing for better with condemnation of the government and crime.
This stanza didn't have as much impact as the others, and I think it's because your diction isn't as strong here. Your last line doesn't pack much of a punch for me, and it might be because you spread the meaning thinly here. Using less words to convey meaning(like your very last lines) and describing the politician using a metaphor(with a face like a lamb, ect.) might make this more impactful.Your last stanza really stood out to me because I felt so much righteous anger emanating from the last two lines. Like, you could have ended it with a soft goodbye or a plea for help, but instead I get this very vivid image of the narrator's brows furrowing and fists tightening. It's so calm and factually stated, but there's this huge undercurrent of emotion that just makes me stop.
There's so much more I could praise(especially your sixth stanza: I'm shuddering) but I'll try to leave a few comments:
These lines were very impactful, but I would rewrite your third line like this: "for a hard-earned meal"
I think that shows your meaning a little clearer.
I'd get rid of the periods to keep the style consistent. Also I'd add "are" between "songs" and "merry".
Overall, AMAZING JOB! By far my favorite metaphor was this one:
I had no idea how people were suffering in Italy, so I thank you for writing about it so eloquently. Much love! <3
Thank you so much for your review, I like your suggestions and they were very helpful. Thats also so nice for you to say and i:m glad that you enjoyed the poem.
Hi there! Let me start off with my reaction to this poem: speechless. I mean, wow, I am in awe by your talent. You managed to display this progression throughout the poem while also maintaining the situation throughout. Also, you managed to write stanzas that were so vivid and so... Italy, that I almost felt like I was there. I could see this country, beautiful and romantic, yet tainted with the horrors the people experience and sullied with corruption.
Honestly, I have no critiques. I love the way you formatted this poem and I love how abruptly it ended. It was a violent, blunt end, which is how reality is. I also love the way you incorporate rhyme throughout the poem. It pops up here and there and is so satisfying when it does, though the rhyme schemes aren't constant and I love that.
That is all I can say. Wonderful job, I love this poem.
Mordax
Thank you so much for your review, that's so kind of you