Dream of the Duomo
Lingering in the memory
of the day's long walk
re-visiting the plazas and cafes
that offered the best advantage
I close my eyes to frame in fuller form
that which was too large for pedestrian vistas
And through these thin skin veils
that shield my occupation
a distant skyline emerges
extending the boundaries of my imagination
And in that moment the whole flower brightens
it's stone marbled walls of green & white perfection.
And with the same sureness as one
who would have laid the lines,
I trace the steep arched massing,
the main proportions and sacred divisions...
defining the contours of a place and time.
But clinking cups and saucers
clatter from the rooftop trattoria
collapsing my consciousness
back to this balustrade world
restraining my reach into the air
of Renaissance.
My cappuccino cools.
The sun closes the circular landscape.
I am left measuring but shadowy dimensions
of a past time's subtle escape.
Then unexpectedly... from the dim-lit edges around me,
the earth bound roofs wavering below,
the tall dome silhouette lifts my awareness
it's brilliant lantern gleaming solitaire
reflecting a source now unseen,
as if the architect had designed this very moment
revealing the dreamer...to the dream!
Jrm - June 1993
