Allesandra Patti

Leonardo deified the Medici of Florence;
Ever the optimist, he defied them constantly,
Overwhelming them with his consummate art.
Naturally, they repaid him with disdain;
...

At the flower market
I found spice, holy water,
cobblestoned obsidian dreams,
but no flowers.
...

I grieve that I may be the first to die,
To leave you here alone to see
The break of day, the setting of the sun.
...

I
My father spoke of eating rats
to stay alive in World War I
as he lay in bloodied fields
...

Summer block parties, mama and papa
kicking up their heels to the tarantella-
such happy toe tapping. Signoras crowding in,
twirling their babushkas, and me so proud.
...

We’ll never know who
the culprit was.

The tamburo
...

I saw you walking in the park today
And all at once my world came tumbling down.
You looked as though you had not aged a day,
Although I noticed just the slightest frown
...

...

...

Intent on her task, she gazes
at the earth, stooping.
Raking parched leaves, she scoops
them up with gloved hands,
...

The days in Border Town shimmer
with dust that hangs in the air palpable as pudding.
The nights lonesome as a coyote's cry,
and black as death, except for the bright lights
...

I sit here in my cups
watching fishermen gut their wares
along the decrepit pier.
I sigh with each careless toss and watch
...

The rain came suddenly,
soaking up the picnic blanket
like a sponge.
...

We have have no need
of disappearing acts
or card tricks
that stun the gullible
...

Fleet-footed as the faun fleeing with Apollo,
the hungry huntress stalks her prey,
pressing fallen leaves to her bare breasts,
her taut, lithe movements sparing
...

Common Time

When I think back upon my childhood fears,
Rejoicing that those nightmare years have fled
...

Tarot Reading

You have cursed me
with your wormwood
...