Ciao, Darlings
The women
out of place
in a black dress with a neck line too low
revealing a décolletage
crumpled like a rejected manuscript
her greeting
her way of leaving the impression
she had recently summered in Venice.
Those people
whispering as she passed
because they found her
incredibly
seductive
influential
or both
as she believed
her mind not being what it used to.
She was neither.
waste
i thought we meant more
than goodbye in a single word.
but only a solitary syllable slipped out of your lips-
and you walked the other way.
Ciao
I tell myself I get sick it’s okay I go to the hospital I get better
needles seeking tragedy
tattoos that hide
under sleeves
blood rotten and bittersweet
ciao to the veins laced with low dopamine
To ‘ciao’ or not?
To ciao
Or not to ciao?
Across Italy, you’ll hear a greeting
That rhymes with chow and is handy
To say hi or bye, nothing fancy.
But don’t overuse ciao like candy,
Because of the word’s true meaning.
A Venetian phrase is the root:
Literally: “I am your slave”
Comes from when Venice ruled Slavs
From the cradle to the grave
In the country shaped like a boot.
Morphing into “at your service”
And said informally nowadays
To pals and peers in Italia,
The meaning from its origin strays
But ciao still makes some folks nervous.
Especially when a stranger
Says ciao it may seem impolite
To an older Italian who might
Consider the greeting a blight
So, tourists, weigh the greeting danger.
To ciao
Or not to ciao?
Visitors, you have some options:
Salve works anytime to say hello
Buongiorno says bye and hello
Arrivederci means bye, not hello
In short, use ciao with caution
ciao, indeed
I pretended they are not there,
the voices speak,
the tortured , joyous murmurs,
giving advice,
like they know anything,
berating,
like it's their business,
complaining,
like it's my fault, or that i can help,
mocking,
like i'm not used to it.
dealing with the voices,
i get a thick skin,
which i groom and shed,
as season and humidity require.
the voices don't learn,
the voices don't really care,
so i told them to get lost,
gave them all Fs, and a citation.
see how their mommies,
deal with the disciplinary quagmire.
