Home

Venice with Emma

Posted by fatboy74 on October 4, 2010 - 08:46

Carol Ann spotted her first.
‘Look everyone, it’s Emma Thompson!
Hello Emma.’ She turned,
film star smile, her skin
Mauritius bronze. Tall elegance,
footlights in her voice.

‘Hello’.

An unthinking wave
And then gone – imprints
frescoed to retinas.

After a half-hearted chase
we wandered back anecdotally rude,
our paparazzi guilt for the moment
subdued by a sense of place,
(and eight euro glasses of beer.)
But later, sleep a distant hope,
the ricochet of footsteps
in the alley below,
I saw that look again, the hurried stride
and imagined her dreaming
in some secluded palazzo
of lush lawns and spaces wide,
dripping in portraits
and shields on walls,
stolen from convents
and crumbling cathedrals.

Discuss this piece in the abctales forum


Comments

Lady-Bathsheba | October 4, 2010 - 10:32

imprints frescoed to retinas is an awesome line here fatboy -:)

Enjoyed this a lot -:)

fatboy74 | October 4, 2010 - 13:29

Thanks Lady-B, glad you liked it, it was a pretty surreal experience!:-)

maggyvaneijk | October 4, 2010 - 18:16

I love that this is "auto-biographical". Love this line: "our paparazzi guilt for the moment
subdued by a sense of place"

fatboy74 | October 4, 2010 - 19:10

Thanks Maggy, always appreciate your feedback, what's even more bizarre is that the 'Carol Ann' was of the 'Duffy' variety. So the day went: first time in most beautiful city in the world, bought lunch by future poet laureate, bumped into Emma Thompson!
Cheers Maggy :-)

Highhat | October 5, 2010 - 07:11

I liked this too- lots of lovely descriptive words
;) pia

fatboy74 | October 5, 2010 - 08:10

Thanks Pia, you're very kind. :-)

skinner_jennifer | October 18, 2010 - 21:57

Hi fatboy74,
I have never been to Venice, but would love to go
one day. The last eight lines of the poem really
made me think of Venice.
Jenny.

fatboy74 | October 19, 2010 - 08:30

It's a bit of a cliche to say this Jenny and I visited in February (so no pong), during the Comedia Dell Arte Carnival (Basically when everyone dresses up in costume and parties), but I found it to be the most magical of places - difficult to describe quite how beautiful it is. Thanks for reading and fingers crossed you get there one day. :-)

skinner_jennifer | October 25, 2010 - 16:41

I only wish I could, but who knows what's around
the corner. If I ever do get the chance to go, I
will think of your poem. Thankyou.
Jenny.

luigi_pagano | October 31, 2010 - 11:55

A lovely poem, brilliantly executed. Well done.
I particularly love the first stanza but there are many imaginative lines such as:
"An unthinking wave
And then gone – imprints
frescoed to retinas."
I cannot believe that it wasn't thought worthy of a cherry. Fickle judges!
I adore Venice. I was there at the end of August (and no pong - it must be a myth) and this was my third visit, the first being in 1985.

fatboy74 | October 31, 2010 - 16:11

Thanks Luigi, that's very kind - glad you enjoyed. v. jealous you were there at the end of August. Keep meaning to put aside a two weeks in Italy fund, but the kids are spending it faster than we're earning it.

:-)