BALCONY SONGS
Siena, Italia is in lockdown,
and its citizens sing together,
from their home windows
and balconies. One city’s
Canto Della Verbena
is Napoli’s Abbracciame:
Embrace me,
where some of my family
still lives,
still thrives,
seen in songs that say
“Andra tutto bené:”
Everything will be ok.
Everyone will continue
to have each other,
even in sickness,
even in empty streets
under a masked moon,
voices are heard;
the night’s shoulders
less rounded,
less slouched,
people looking out windows,
saying hello,
waving hands
and white handkerchiefs,
stradas, windows, balconies,
and spirits awash in songs.
Bio:
Joey Nicoletti’s latest book is Boombox Serenade (BlazeVOX, 2019). He teaches creative writing at SUNY Buffalo State.
OVUNQUE SIAMO 