Staring at the water is to face
A timeless breeze that has blown
Across these rocks, onto this promontory
For eons, this lake being the oldest on Earth
With a house of worship behind there
Is an inexplicable mystical aura to the
Air, a stirring of something primordial,
An answer to an unasked question
Pondering the myriad footfalls upon
This hallowed ground provides a
Connection to the continuum of
Humanity, a sometimes tenuous link
These stones have been smoothed, but
Still retain their craggy character,
Testifying to the resilience, the ineffability
Of the locale in the face of degradation
Although no censers burn today,
The scent of incense carries on the
Wind, as do the chants of saints
Long consecrated and buried beneath
Standard fluttering atop the citadel is
Given life by the same tempest that roared at
That most famous crucifix, a spirituality
That its carrier would have appreciated
Gilded with smiles, but not with gold,
Local frescoes reveal the optimism,
The joy brought to this place centuries
Before Italy was reborn from the darkness
It is this ethos, this deep-set character that is
Reinforced here, that welcomes seekers who
Know intuitively that truth cannot
Be reduced to mere pieces of parchment
Seeking to capture the treasures terrestrial
And intangible that the define the populace,
Invaders have been rebuffed by
Fortifications and nature’s divine protection
The eternal wind does not always bring
Peace, the afternoon whitecaps symbolic
Of a political turmoil, an internecine conflict
Subjugating a people caught at a crossroads
Equanimous despite victims of outright theft
And the imposition of a directional nomenclature
Usurping something held close in hearts,
An identity inextricable and ultimately inviolable
From its depths, the water whispers reassurance,
Secrets audible to those born to hear them,
Cast on a frequency resonating only with
Those who care enough to listen
Voyagers touched with this essence will
Bear its mark as if tattooed, there
Not being a pictogram sufficiently descriptive
Or capable of conveying such an image