The promise of wonder

When I woke, Sophie and Wallace were still inside their dreams - 

I looked up at the high ceiling - 

It was the day after my birthday - 

I felt a gentle sadness - 

I had been born on a Good Friday -

I wondered how many more Good Fridays I would see -

How many more of Sophie's birthdays - 

How many more of Wallace's birthdays -

I closed my eyes to hear soft footsteps - 

Sophie opened the shutters -

She flung wide the arched windows -

I breathed the air of a city rich with names, steeped in longing - 

My gentle sadness stole away - 

Sunlight and the promise of wonder filled the room -

53 Vicolo dei Panieri, Trastevere, Rome

April 2025