Witness Of The Past

We were seven and went to sleep, every night,

always at the same time.

Father, mother, three sons and two daughters.

Then, from open doors of the rooms, beginning

by the eldest to the youngest and one at a time,

the full darkness always heard a familiar ballad

being sung – your blessing, dad; your blessing, mom.

So, permeating the corridors came in one by one:

God blesses.

Then, aloud and in bed, they joined in prayers,

what worked as singular lullaby to put us asleep.

At dawn, father awakened us from the backyard

with his axe, by cracking firewood for the stove.

He was a scholar, but fond of the old manners.

Indeed grave and serious a man, never failed

when we asked for a good companion.

He and mother formed so peculiar a couple,

father the youngest of a thirteen-brother clan

and mother the eldest of ten; a contrast that,

it seems, joined them forever.

Her jewels, so she called them, a delicate watch

and a wedding ring were quite enough to hold

blessed and blissful a union.

We lived by the simplest lifestyle, no refrigerator,

gas stove, or electric shower.

Mother ironed clothes by an old charcoal fired iron,

cooked tasty lunches in smoky a kitchen and made

the finest suits in a hand-crank sewing machine.

You must believe that there are saints.

By that time, two of them lived with us.

Published in Creative Talents Unleashed, Featured Writer, March 18, 2017.

http://www.creativetalentsunleashed.com

Published in Spirit Fire Review, October 2017 issue.

http://www.spiritfirereview.com

Unplanned Feelings

The world did not know, nor did we,

until today, of our kinship,

soul mates by birth, although unknown

to each other, so long separated by fate.

Our eyes betraying us, shining by an announced

and foreshadowed sin, our hearts beating loudly,

strange emotion reddening our faces.

We know it is presage of love,

Lord of all of us humans.

Presage also of unhappy days of sorrow,

for a man must not betray an old friend

and a woman must honor her husband.

Story that recalls old prohibited affairs

suddenly reborn in unsuspected parties

to incautious people like me and you,

quite unable to hide their feelings,

letting go so late lit a flame.

 

Published in Red Wolf Journal, March 11, 2017.

http://www.redwolfjournal.wordpress.com

Published in Fêlan, issue 11, May 19, 2017.

http://www.felanzine.wordpress.com.

Published in Tree House Arts, Jan 31, 2018

http://www.treehousearts.me

On Politics And Borders

Smile, you’re on camera,

it makes no sense to me,

unsuitable and poor a slogan.

I am not contented, for sure not happy, on seeing

so high this lack of solidarity among humans,

this extreme wickedness that dwells in our hearts,

or, even worse, for those heartless ones,

that dwells in their dry and rigid minds.

Sad at rapacious and ruthless business men,

only having eyes for the profits, uncommitted

to the human accomplishment as a whole.

I am not able to wear a smile on my face, feeling

my entire soul crying for daily evil’s perversions,

from so-called brothers, unable, even today, to learn

simple lessons of good will.

Sad for politicians unsuitable to overthrow frontiers

and barriers among nations, from so long increasing

pride and arrogance; what we should know it happens

due to a questionable and unfashionable nationalism,

fathered by ridiculous absolute rulers and dictators,

also, sometimes, by unsuspected elected presidents.

Published at Creative Talents Unleashed, as Featured Writer,. February 18, 2017.

http://www.creativetalentsunleashed.com

Our Lord’s Grace

My accountant says that for each credit

there must be mandatorily one debt,

and next to the assets it must be shown

its corresponding liabilities.

Economists say there is no such thing

as a free lunch and to each profit fatally

will correspond an equal loss.

So have been moved the heavy wheels

that carry our chariot through the ages.

But we know that our Creator’s accounts

do not close like this.

All of us are His lovely sons and His grace

covers and heals all days of our earthly life,

without any of our known limitations,

without our proper acknowledgment

and regardless of our faith or merit.

We are His sons and His is this world,

ours the grace of so unquestioning love.

 

Published in Young Ravens Literary Review, issue 6, Summer 2017 issue.

http://www.youngravensliteraryreview.org

Dangerous Regression

Sometimes I venture to make a risky journey.

I go to the past, long ago, distant, and perilous.

The road I take has been built entirely by me,

in very hard a way no one at all dreams of.

Rough a path and full of so many deviations,

that even I, well used to, I go so timorous.

Now, I see that there were no other choices,

for only this way would lead me where I am.

Where and what I must be ever since I was.

On this visit, I see friends, lovers, enemies,

grandfathers and cousins, see also myself.

Then, undoubtedly alive, they talk to me,

ask for news, and soon we are laughing,

like old comrades absent for so long.

On leaving, one or other wants to follow me,

but I do not feel safe and come home alone.

I suspect that past is jealous of its deeds

and always hides how has woven them.

I think it must be visited as few times

as one is capable of.

Published in Taj Mahal Review, print issue, Dec 21, 2021

Published in Scarlet Leaf Review, June 5, 2022

Published in the Galway Review, July 30 2025

http://www.scarletreview.com

Published in 7th Circle Pyrite, Feb 21, 2026

Enduring Lovers

A priest at the church’s aisle wears black,

welcoming boys and girls wearing white.

The priest’s black cassock makes a counterpoint

at boys’ suits, short pants and knee socks,

girls’ dresses, veils and gloves; a full display

of rich splendid whites.

They arrive holding in hands lighted candles

and small (white) prayer books, lucent faces

shining more than the candles, yet more than

some big full-lighted ceiling chandeliers.

A touching image of former times, happy ones,

the celebration of a First Holy Communion,

testimony of pure minded a children’s faith.

Then, life ran simply, giving us fewer choices,

like only black phones and only white fridges,

along with dear black and white films and photos.

Moreover, time to encounter enduring lovers,

who confront life disillusions, jointly reaching,

so many years ahead,

colorful and unsettled contemporaneous days.

Published in West Ward Quarterly, printed 2016 Winter issue.

http://www.wwquarterly.com

Ready By Dawn

“Genesis 01.01 – And the earth was without form, and void; darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

 

Wisdom and reason come from different steps

and sometimes the first is full nescience.

Through our lives we go struggling and learning

to sharpen our working and reasoning tools.

Time upon time and suffering upon suffering

our race has become ever better and better.

Some have reached a high degree of knowledge

and refinement but many still lie at low a level,

deserving our respect and our support.

Even God has began His creation at stage zero,

from the darkness he bequeathed us full light.

And until today all nights, taught by our Lord,

spin on an old loom weaving, ready by dawn,

pure light never tired to glorify and bless

this holy shrine we call earth.

 

Published in Indiana Voice Journal, February 2017 issue.

http://www.indianavoicejournal.com

Christmas Yearnings

Until when will we endure the seed of evil,

suffering on the serfdom to the unrighteous,

cohabiting with nonchalance in our faith

and disavowing sacred our designs?

How much longer can we live with brothers

who can only show fears and disbelief?

Until when will we collect nightmares

than sweet dreams we ever long for?

How much longer do we need to recognize

love and purity by which we were made

and from so long have abjured?

Indeed we are a God sons’ battalion fighting against

an army of the fallen angels, never able to stand up,

but still dangerous and malevolent ones.

May our struggle continue until Isaiah 11.6 is fulfilled:

“The wolf will live with the lamb and

the leopard will lie with the goat”

Comrades By The Journey

On streets and alleys, squares and corners,

roads, meadows and mountains,

walking or anchored in the sun, moon, rain

or snow, in a the good mood; sometimes,

in a mood swing; we go discovering new friends.

Attracted by similarities or else curious

for the differences, we enrich our mind and

happily dip into other tastes and treats, what

always alleviates our day to day.

Some of these friends, in due time or even

instantly, are chosen to be our lovers;

this is the natural way of things and

we must not deny it.

But, friends or lovers, we must not forget

to take them from our conquered mind,

yet conquered spirit, to the inner of heart

and feel if it remains in peace.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”, our Lord said,

and I dare to say: blessed are the rich in the heart!

 

Published in Indiana Voice Journal, February 2017 issue.

http://www.indianavoicejournal.com