Aug 2018
The sea crashes hard into
The black boulders
Of the harbor.
Fountains of spume dribble
Landward into crevices.
Shrouded in gloom, I climb
Slippery black stairs to see
The spectacle.
Rough sailing ahead.
Rough rains behind.
Cinque Terre craves attention.
Five Lands of building blocks
And pastel colors.
I stand on the *****
Of indecision, stumbling
Toward the rocky marketplace.
Can I buy peace there?
Can I make fire on the waves?
Riomaggiore anchors my fall
Onto the watery stones,
Black and blind.
Facedown,
I float the Five Beauties of spume.
It is safe among the crevices.
The black boulders
Of the harbor.
Fountains of spume dribble
Landward into crevices.
Shrouded in gloom, I climb
Slippery black stairs to see
The spectacle.
Rough sailing ahead.
Rough rains behind.
Cinque Terre craves attention.
Five Lands of building blocks
And pastel colors.
I stand on the *****
Of indecision, stumbling
Toward the rocky marketplace.
Can I buy peace there?
Can I make fire on the waves?
Riomaggiore anchors my fall
Onto the watery stones,
Black and blind.
Facedown,
I float the Five Beauties of spume.
It is safe among the crevices.
Cinque Terre is the name of five villages (or "lands") on the Italian Riveria; they are linked by walking paths along the sometimes mountainous terrain. All but one of them face the sea. They are noted for their pastel-colored buildings stacked high upon one another. Riomaggiore is one of the largest villages.
