Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, VIA MARGUTTA, by MARIA LUISA SPAZIANI


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

VIA MARGUTTA, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Grey courtyards where the imprisoned


Grey courtyards where the imprisoned
magnolia sweats out its sentence.
Above, the Pincio hill, like a ship,
aims toward the west but never departs.
You who walk in these streets, you know
how the depths swarm with life.
Maybe it was a mistake to search for wings,
you'll find the pearl only at the bottom.
Thirty six years. The burning number
burns you alone, but the sky doesn't notice.
Even though it's in chains, the magnolia blooms,
and your fate doesn't even brush against it.
Maybe it's a coral without realizing it,
and maybe its violets are shells.
A shadow, already submerged,
teaches us all to mistrust the sun.
Thirty six years. A figurehead's eye,
burnt by the sun, sees whatever it wants to.


Used by permission of Story Line Press.




Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net