***
Rézene, fenhel, finocchio –
A prominent green perfume,
A Corinthian-style body –
Are temples only for worship?
The stillness can now be broken
By crackling of firewood only,
You hand is a wandering monk,
Its beginningless motion –
fullstop.
Allegro but tanto: sleigh bells,
Then, Lento: the wedding rings melt,
Further, it’s Presto: alarm toll,
Finito: The funeral gong.
I found the inspiration,
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto
Numero 3.
On your skin, the olive tints
sing,
they come:
all of your fingers –
The eerie sound of strings
Con legno,
The burning wood humbles my selfdom,
Its cantaloupe visible presence
Smells like anise, absinthe –
Rézene, fennel, finocchio –
A beginningless green perfume.
(Painting “La mot assenza” by Sara Maino 9-7-21)
