Italy poems

Packing List

6 pairs socks
brightly colored expectations
4 long-sleeved shirts
2 or 3 muted hopes
one pair walking shoes
5 or 6 unwrinkled dreams
shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen
preconceived notions
butterflies and sweaty palms
adapter plug
phrase book
anticipation
apprehension

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Bounty

The path serpentines up the slope
through pine and chestnut
lemon-scented groves
and arbors that dangle
clusters of pale green grapes
begging to be pilfered.

The way narrows and twists.
I step fearfully along the edge
afraid to face the heart-stopping height
unwilling to miss the terrifying
beauty of hills and sea.

When the trail widens
and brush hides the drop
I breathe again, I lift my face
to the breeze that whispers
in the myrtle.

Around the next turn
figs hang soft and plump
just out of reach
gravid with juicy sweetness.
I pull down a branch
and reward my bravery
with sun-warm fruit.