ALTO MARE

Dove il mare s'affonda in abissali

neri, sull'alto e docile turchino,

galleggiare pensieri sull'ignoto profondo,

sugli sterminati cieli,

punto centrale al cerchio d'orizzonte

nel centro esatto dell'Infinità

ON THE HIGH SEAS

Where the sea is sunk in measureless

black, on the high and tractable blue

float thoughts in the unknown depth,

on the endless skies...

to stay in the middle of

the circle of horizon,

the exact center of the Infinite

Spazio d'amore

 tendente ai quattro

angoli aperti

dell'Infinito

HOME

Space of love

stretching to the four

open corners

of the Infinite

Vivida sei,

bell'anima di Dio

sotto la cenere.

BLOWING

(The Breath)

Under the ash

you are vivid

my beautiful God' soul;

bright.

I COLORI DI DIO

Oh, questo Dio invisibile,

 l'Iddio ultravioletto!

 E noi confusi nell'arcobaleno

 di miraggi, sul limine:

sogni multicolori,

rosso, arancione, giallo, verde... IRIDE

Dio qui, Dio padre, Dio nostro fratello,

 Cristo fratello Dio, arcobaleno,

idea d'ogni cosa

e il sì, quel sì,

che la mente non osa

THE COLOURS OF GOD

Oh, this invisible God,

the ultra-violet God !

And we have been disconcerted in the rainbow

of mirages, "ad limina":

dreams multicolour,

red, orange, yellow, green ... IRIS.

God here, God Father,

our good God brother,

God rainbow, brother Christ!

He plans everything...

and the yes, that yes

the mind does not dare

Where? Unknown country.

When? I did not know.

In the middle of

one dry rectangle...

an Italian-bowling ground.

Not a murmur, in the still air, or, perhaps,

never born.

Dry trees around the ground.

Lonely.

Suddendly, a breeze, very, very sweet.

One presence, at my back.

I turn around and

I see the Christ, the same as Turin's Shroud,

Jesus the King.

                         He tells me: "Guido, do

you wish to play?".

"I' m not able, God, to play this game".

He: "Come on! Come

here to play!".

                         And we begin the game.

Christ pitch his "bòccia" (*) , I pitch mine, and, oddly,

I score easily;

and our Lord too,

of course.

Now we are equal,

the last pitch is mine...

 ... I launch my wood-ball like a rocket...

and... and... I WIN the game!

Christ smiles at me his infinite happiness.

___________

(*) Italian language: every  wood-ball in the Italian bowling game.

The blinding sun

that illuminated the ordinary things

of an escaping day

has just turned himself off

behind the horizon

letting an effusion

of orange and crimson

and a central Star.

In the sudden quiet,

the mind turns to that drop of light

more luminous than the sun,

and, by the Grace of God,  accepts

the whole universe.

SACRAMENTALE

La Pasqua è alta e assorta e dolorosa

la Quaresima ancòr si batte il petto.

Memore è marzo di passate cose,

di quando prima gioventù volava

all'ansiosa seconda, dei patemi

di quei vent'anni ch'altri sente d'oro.

La Pasqua è tarda per quest'oggi in cuore.

Nervoso un  vento forte spande seme

su ippocastani infitti nella via. 

Oggi mi stenta l'orazione. Pia,

una medaglia della Consolata

per me continua silenziosamente

a implorare l'Amato. (*)

____________________________________________________________

- The following translation of this poem in English language is by CTherese - Many thanks!

Easter falls late this year,

Still engrossed in painful prayer,

Lent strikes at one's chest,

March, a remembrance of things past,

Of youth, when it first flew

To the expectant second age,

Reminders of those worrisome twenties,

That others define as the golden age.

Easter falls late for this heart today.

Nervous, a gale wind seeds

Horsechestnuts poked into the asphalt.

Today prayer is very difficult for me. Devout,

A medal of Our Lady, the Consoler,

Silently continues on my behalf,

To implore our Loved One.

______________________________________________________________________

(*) It’s not heresy or blasphemy: the sacramentals, crosses and medals, for Catholic believers, are not mascots or amulets. They are not adoration of the images! Medals and crosses are the testimonies of the wish to pray to God always, especially when the mind, for some reason, momentarily is distracted.