Can you think of a better modern-day tribute to Florence than haiku? Three lines of poetry that fit on a tweet and pay homage to Florence the literary city, the place where D.H. Lawrence wrote Lady Chatterley’s Lover, E.M. Forster set his A Room with a View and the cradle of countless magazines, newspapers and journals which have shaped Italy’s cultural history. Editor in chief of The Florentine, Helen Farrell conveys in verse her feelings towards Florence and daily life in the city we all love – and occasionally despise.
Haiku from Florence 2015/16
1 / Elegantly poised
Inferno of shopping bliss:
via Calzaiuoli.
2 / He stands strong, stalwart.
With tenderness in his gaze.
David: symbol of love.
3 / I dive into you,
My cerulean Firenze,
amorous for more.
4 / Power and pathos;
“sign against the drugs!” ; pink hue:
50 shades of FI.
5 / Aperitivo,
fine wine and conversation:
it never gets old.
6 / Do not etch your name.
Ascend the 465 steps
to lamp-lit heaven.
7 / Beauty in the flesh.
Love me, love me not; your call.
Proud, indifferent FI.
8 / Throbbing to the tune
of motorini and talk:
it’s movida time.
9 / Give me Tuscany
as the sun falls, the grapes rise,
moonup and winedown.
10 / Sad faces, mood swings,
back from bagno to dusty desk –
sigh, il rientro.
11 / What handy storage:
dimenticatoio – box
of mislaid memory.
12 / Contemplating life
on the Frecciargento:
Italy, high speed.
13 / A Tuscan Christmas:
tortellini or turkey?
Foodie dilemma.
14 / Death to mosquitoes!
Splat: 3am wake-up call
Where is the winter?
15 / By the piazzale –
viola clouds / city
for the love of Fl.
16 / Just landed — the ‘doves’
perch on the supermarket
shelves. Cue colombe.
17 / 4am. Revellers
in party hats morph with
underpass details.
18 / An iris circle
edges patriotic graves:
writers’ ring road isle.
19 / Sia, avessi,
arrivassi: a case of
subjunctivitis.
