THE POEM

A glance at the stars by Tommaso Di Ciaula

A glance at the stars
to sleep outdoors
poppies push
against the walls,
a gorse bush.
The night bird
flaps about with its repulsive wings
on the reeds
of the bower
on the rust poles
that hold up the vine awning
crucified in the spiders’ webs
and in the dust.
Ripe wind
beyond the roof
opposite at midday.

(Translation by Susan Perry)

From Il cielo, le spine, la pietra
Poesie scelte (1995)
Argo, Lecce

Poppies in bloom in the countryside around Egnazia (Brindisi).
Photo Archivio Fotogramma

My Salento - by Maria Felicita Cordella Greetings from Punta Meliso - by Lino Angiuli The tired woman dreamer - by Adeodato Piazza Nicolai Greetings from Castro - by Lino Angiuli OSTUNI, I - by Paolo Valesio The Last Green God - by Barbara Carle Greetings from Acaia - by Lino Angiuli And now that our words… - by Giovanna Politi If you forget me - by Giovanna Politi Only a chapter - by Joseph Tusiani 2015-01-06 - by Francesco Aprile And they will come again - by Giovanna Nosarti Bar - by Maurizio Evangelista Grandma - by Toti Bellone The secret of fire - by Antonio Belpiede Half-open - by Carlo Alberto Augieri (De finibus terrae / The ends of the earth) - by Anita Piscazzi Gargano Olive trees - by Joseph Tusiani With tight long bites - by Rita Rucco The Traveller - by Marcello Comitini Greetings from - by Joseph Tusiani (to life) - by Marco F. D’Astice Deep in the desecrated country - by Tommaso Di Ciaula I was born on the 21st in Springtime - by Alda Merini Late spring - by Adeodato Piazza Nicolai These lemons - by Ernesto Treccani Of dreams and tatters - by Joseph Tusiani My grandmother’s wrinkled hands - by Giovanna Nosarti Freedom - by Marcello Comitini It’ll be a sentence handed down by the fathers - by Teodora Mastrototaro the suitcase - by Alessio Laterza I need - by Maurizio Evangelista Village Village - by Daniele Giancane i was reading the story of stories of stories - by Robert Viscusi Crossing the Murgia - by Sergio D’Amaro Murmur and a pearl - by Joseph Tusiani If you glimpse - by Tommaso Di Ciaula tuning can be difficult if you strain at it - by Robert Viscusi It’s a good omen - by Cristanziano Serricchio You can go deep into the woods at night - by Maurizio Cucchi For love - by Luigi Fontanella Dear words that you hear - by Cristanziano Serricchio Ants and children play nearby - by Cristanziano Serricchio The Celestial City - by Luigi Fontanella When I went back to my town in the South - by Vittorio Bodini We live in a spell - by Vittorio Bodini You don’t know the South - by Vittorio Bodini Wishing for a Wrong Number - by Joseph Tusiani warandpeace: from without to will be - by Walter Vergallo Song of Bicentennial - by Joseph Tusiani A long war - by Tommaso Di Ciaula let’s make ourselves a bridge - by Robert Viscusi