Your gentle invitation was one imbued
With wit and wine I could not refuse,
On the road through the country in a flaming red car
From my home to Tuscany under a shining star

Two glasses a bottle of Ripasso I made sandwiches
We spoke about viruses, migration, rebuilt the world,
Envisaging a pandemic of half-castes as myself
To reach a raceless society of humans peacefully giddy

As ourselves. We reached the Etruscan city of Orvieto first.
At the summit of a butte of volcanic tuff we meandered
Through narrow lanes encountering a deep well
An imprisoned cathedral dressed in stripes, white travertine

And greenish-black basalt in narrow bands. A chalice
Of golden elixir you fed me pâté on homemade bread
Then drove me to Renaissance town of Pienza named
After a pope who wrote erotic plays and had a dream

To build an ideal city for me, to indulge in its beauty
Six hundred years later with you, your wit and wine
We walked up the street of love and down the one of fortune
Wondering which was more important, and at night

The bells rang every hour so that in the morning
You woke up singing, lyrics questioning what did the man
Pour into the lady’s coffee, she confessing
Death would be sweeter now she had found him.

Final destination the medieval Montalcino commune
Erected by monks to welcome Brunellos, ninety
Winemakers in a room covered with frescos
Offering the fruits of four springs of labour,

Attention and care to elicit earthy notes, black fruits,
Underwood resting in oak barrels to come to light
In bottles proudly labelled with an emblem and the grapes’
Year of birth, Cupano captured me the most its taste

Inebriating scents of man’s love affair with nature
And when finally you brought me home I washed my face
My teeth wore my pyjama took a bottle, of water to bed
Pondered on what, could the man have poured

Into her coffee.

[Featured photo: Benvenuto Brunello 2020, Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy]