People Past Purpose

How silent the camera

How silver

The quiffed and curly hair

How careful the restoration

How tidy

Row after row of the fold-away chair

Fingers point

And brows are furrowed

With this popular tourist affair

The older woman

Talks of her girlfriend

I whisper, you know, sublimely self-aware

Eyes in sunken sockets

Yes, you guessed it

They said to stop and stare

So, to prevent raucous laughter

You put your finger to your lip

As if you were musing, with Tony Blair

No wonder he turned Catholic

After that new labour crawl

We said we will, we will, do or dare

The American eschews her gravy

Then talks through the silence

For she has neither style, nor care

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Places of Purpose

A cellar

A corridor

A cafe

A coffee

A cake

A copper pipe or two

A chair

A camera

A cathedral

A city

A country

A copper pipe or two

The queue is quintessential

Everywhere we go

It is we who are deferential

Beneath the line of snow

I have to tell you something

of the Duomo

Whose dead centre

is directly above

Its chairs are not built for comfort

And its columns are black and white

The faces are not for smiling

And the doubters, they do seem a shade uptight

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Smiling Service

There is a smile

On top of my coffee

The maître d'

Sure has a sense of humour

So I sip my drink slowly

Try hard not to displace

The artistic impression

As you enter the room

And what’s more

In this multi-cultural city

They now play Ravel’s Bolero

Although no one dances

If it takes a while

Then it takes a while

If we can have a queue

Then we do have a queue

Do not become frustrated

Have a coffee, with cake

The future will be reinstated

In this city without a timetable

But, for the sake

Of your continued good health

We relieve you of your lira

With our undoubted style

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Waiting Service

The smiling lady

Looks after

The invalid man

With a touch of love

The fat, and the thin

Raise my chagrin

By attempting to take

My reserved table

Master of all he surveys

The manager of this cafe

Casts a long shadow

Over all of his underlings

Now I hesitate

For no one else is here

But I must make it clear

This is my reserved table

Let me tell you

It is with some discomfort

That I turn people away

As I order myself a cappuccino

The room is now almost entirely full

Well, except that is

There are three empty seats

At my reserved table

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Winding Down

Jacques & Michelle

In Neptune’s garden

John & Sheri

In Neptune’s garden

Christopher & Kate

In Neptune’s garden

Altogether now

Altogether now

All you need is love

All you need is love

In the hotel Pendini

By the Republic Square

Listening to Rossini

Everyone who is anyone

Has visited there

Yes, it is true

I am here, with treats

Take it easy won’t you

For I have reserved

The better seats

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