
THE POEM
Village village of low set houses,
winding round the castle,
where images of saints
and children’s cries
are interwoven in the lanes
Village of almonds spread on nets,
of figs on sale in front of houses,
village of terraces
and lanes that get lost
in groves full of olives
In the main square
the clock on the tower,
the deals, the promises of love,
the cassarmonica for the patron saint’s festival
Village village ancient and modern,
old and progressive,
its women poised
between obedience and new roles,
the young between the Sunday stroll and the discos
Village balancing,
sweet with nuts and ice-creams
and stories told
in the heart of the night, amidst ashes that warmly
ferment in the hearths…
(Translation by Susan Perry)
From Marcia di utopia (1987)
© Ed. Forum, Forlì
Scorrano (Lecce). Cassarmonica set up for the feast of the patron saint.
Photo Archivio Fotogramma

