Italy is to England
what colour is to grey.
Suspicion, mistrust and inhibition
give way to passion, thunder, exotic emotions,
shoes, leather, luxury and lace.
A modest vulnerability
bursting buttons with pulchritude,
an epic conquering history
rich in Roman tragedy and gods,
bountifully spreading lore and progress
from delicacy laden sacks.
The peasant's simple fare
raw, authentic, uncultivated
the marching foundations
for this modern supremacy,
sustaining noble ideas
with rustic flavours and textures.
The taste of the street
history and hot dust combined
as the world flows past
pollinating the atmosphere
with a fine layer of flour.