Lanterned streetlights reflect the rain on the cobblestones
The trattoria in the alley is open until four
Couples with linked arms walk precariously down the stepped paths
Listen to the laughter echo through the city blocks
The neon pizza light guiding in flashes above the open front door
Strolling for hours without care in the safety of night
We found a market along the Tiber path
Holding treasures from bespoke handcarved art to carnival rides
Strangers watch you hold my hand on the ferris wheel
While trying unsuccessfully to balance our wine
Mon amore, with your corrupted innocence
Friends for years stumbling by the fountain lean on the Pantheon
Embedding manicured fingers into the stone for grasp
Tags and nicknames vandalised discreetly on its surface
Dichotomous to the broken nail one sustains
From her heel slipping between a crack while adjusting her clasp
Banana and coconut and lemon cherry
Stark to the evening warmth rising from the streets in curls
Is this ice treat by the famous gelateria next to the Trevi
The masses gather in the square for an attraction in its own right
Tourists purchase in bumbling lines before throwing their coin
Mon amore, with your uncultivated harmony
Navigating our way only through a retrace of our journey
We pass by the fountain and on the cold marble sit
Staring in silence at the full moon and counting the glowing stars
Crunching on wafer cones crumbling across our legs
In this moment making constellations of our own
The lifelong friends return with empty bottles of red in their hands
Defeated by damaged stilettos swinging over their shoulders
Resting on the temple which stood as support before
That has been a constant for hundreds of years and like its city
Will be a sight for thousands more
Mon amore, with your interrupted beauty
You will hold a place in my heart eternally
Grace Johnson
Kew, Victoria
