ALESSIO ZANELLI

An August Morning

A day like many—neither memorable

nor to forget—at the slow pace of when

the goad of swift-flowing time is blunt.

Sultriness grants respite, and for once

the unsweetened espresso at the bar—

given the minute or so it deserves—

returns its sharp, nose-enrapturing,

life-reconciling fragrance. Your town

is there, all around you, but you’d say

you’ve never seen it before. Its leitmotiv

sounds like a 45-rpm record played at 331⁄3.

Many people are away, allegedly on holiday,

and those staying also count for the absent.

A babel of voices clamors in the distance,

they wrangle over a point of contention

impossible to understand. Along the curbs

tufts of grass yellow in the mid-summer sun.

Here and there down the deserted avenue,

through the rustling leaves—indiscreet,

impatient—the eye of autumn peeps.

Alessio Zanelli is an Italian poet who writes in English. His work has appeared in over 200 literary journals from 18 countries. His sixth collection, titled “The Invisible”, was published in 2024 by Greenwich Exchange (London). For more information, please visit http://www.alessiozanelli.it.