Venezia, Travel Notes -- Free-verse (just for your reading enjoyment) Options

[Ali zonak]

Travel Notes
Venezia

Past midnight in a cheap hotel room.
Some night owl plays his mandolin;
endless stops and starts of elevators,
two drunks return late from the bar.

Where is my restful sans souci,
the grotto that gleams in sapphire’s
royal blue as I attempt to submerge
myself in Capri dreams?

I close my eyes, imagine stars beneath
Heaven’s girth and listen to Puccini’s aria
“Nessum Dorma,” ‘Tonight no one must sleep,”
to drown out the elevators’ humming.

I try to ignore the pounding of a neighbor’s
headboard against the wall that divides our rooms.
Finally, his door opens and shuts--
I hear the giggling of la puttana as she leaves.
Then, sleep’s trance. In the morn, Capri.

[Psyche]

Hi Ali,
I enjoyed your poem about your rather unfortunate stay in Venice. Such a beautiful city, been there myself, but about two decades ago.
Your last stanza about the headboard pounding, the giggling and "la puttana" made me laugh.
And no, I've never taken group tours. We used to go to any town's Tourism Center to get a list of B&B's, also maybe perfectly acceptable travelling salesmen's hotels. Never could afford much else. We were young and adventuresome, had great times.

Since I've widowed, I still wish to travel, so perhaps I'd consider a group tour nowadays. Need some company.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Capri was marvelous. Places have changed such a lot. Greece and its islands were simple and friendly. Small inns near beaches were charming. Perhaps it's not a good idea to visit them again.

Best, Syl/Psyche