Christmas alla Romana

from The Last Tribe on Earth by Anthony Tao, Liane Halton

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lyrics

Christmas alla Romana

The day after Christmas in Rome,
after the spaghetti with clams and sea bass,
the pandoro, panettone, wine and grappa,
having wolfed down fried cod alla romana and lamb,
tortellini, gorgonzola, pangiallo,
one could excuse us for saying no
to ruins, history, the dank
dark Catacombs on the Appian Way
or that monastery of cloistered nuns
still functioning, with its wheel where
the scandalized abandoned their babies.
We considered walking to Monte Testaccio,
a terraced hill near the east bank of River Tiber
with a landfill of amphora, trash
ancients so considerately left us
to gush and fawn over, to say of history,
Look how alive, and shake our heads,
because If Rome was so great…
but we were too stuffed, so we spent
St. Stephens Day in the sitting room
sated, preparing for another meal, Aperol
spritz and meatloaf. Our tribute would be
humble, the family unit as unsaid prayer,
a direct line to another time, its stone walls
preserved with religiosity, culture
polished evident as marble. Besides,
it’s not as if they’re going anywhere,
not as if the naves are getting profane
or that Caravaggio grown legs.
Rome will always be there, imperishable,
unlike cheese or the tender heart
inside those already-browning artichokes,
our days and our lives.

credits

from The Last Tribe on Earth, released March 20, 2019

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about

Anthony Tao, Liane Halton Beijing, China

LIANE HALTON graduated from Rhodes University in South Africa in classical guitar performance and composition. ANTHONY TAO is an editor and writer whose poetry has appeared in publications such as Prairie Schooner, Borderlands, The Cortland Review, Kartika Review, Frontier, Asian Cha, etc. ... more