Everyday Today
Longing to breathe in perpetuity
What tomorrow will betray
I hold onto this moment
My everyday today
Drubbing other conversations
A band of students seize the day
Their crescendo of laughter
Unfettered, unrestrained
A guide’s green umbrella
Falsely dispersing tales of rain
The herd behind him flocking
Toward what history parlays
The phone frenzy is contagious
Though I aim to stay engaged
While paradoxically clicking
On this standout landmark stage
Impeccably well-dressed men
Rush past the enchanting scene
Bopping heads of children
On chariots of ruby and citrine
Church bells in the distance
Signal the perfect time of day
While pigeons peck at nothing
Hunger hoping to allay
Yesterday I’d have been blind
To the art she has concealed
Though today I am crushed
By her reticence to reveal
An older couple makes good
On their ever-ebbing days
Absorbing every instant
In deep-seated praise
How many buried truths
And hearts have gone astray
What memories lie asleep
Beyond the walls of this cafe
Caffè Gilli, Florence
February 22, 2023