Lens-Artists PC & Day 29: A less-is-more meditation

Neither is less is more anywhere near my motto, nor I meditate as such. Let’s see then.

More is more and then some: that’s me. Anybody who comes to my blog can attest. For Amy’s Lens-Artists photo challenge I have chosen last year’s rainbow after going through my photos and sighing at the lack of anything less.

The rainbow happened on the road to Orvieto where I was meeting my parents incoming for my birthday almost exactly one year ago (two more weeks). Here is one minute in the life of a rainbow in five most minimalistic photos, and the rest follow under the poem. You know, to learn how to do more is more.

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My yesterday’s poem received this beautiful compliment by Alana (here is one of her poems that I really love) at the NaPoWriMo website: “Such stripped down language, and so rich sound-wise and meaning-wise.” Isn’t this something to achieve? I wish to thank her and everybody who has spurred me on with their meaningful and supportive comments.

As for today’s poem – penultimate in this month – the task was this:

Challenge 29: “I’d like to challenge you to blend these (=various) concepts into your own work, by producing a poem that meditates, from a position of tranquility, on an emotion you have felt powerfully.”

Once I pinned down the day, moment and emotion, the poem wrote itself. (Even though the position of tranquility is relative around here. This is Italy, after all.)

Roman people are hard to impress

 Twice this weekend
 he tells his father about it.
 It must have impressed him
 more than all my tenderness,
 good deeds,
 love.

 He says:
 - She got her car back
 after it was towed away,
 in Vienna!
 Without payment!

 The looks of admiration
 this gets me!
 As if I had just made the perfect ragù.

 It makes me add:
 - You don’t know me yet
 because I’m polite among you,
 I hold back,
 my Italian is still building.

 One day I'll be able to stand my ground
 in Italian too.

 And I return
 to that hot July day in Vienna
 in my thoughts.

 We are sitting in a café by the main road
 when a tow-away truck passes
 with something very much like our car.

 I run and jump up to beg the driver
 - What now? Where to? -
 but he merely slips me the card
 and drives on.

 It’s far, on the outskirts,
 I pack my friend whose car it is
 and father’s money
 - it’s a lot -
 and off we go.

 Two Italians exit
 and we ask them:
 - How was it? Any chance?
 - No, they say.
 You must pay.

 In we go:
 My mode switched to
 British English,
 my friend looking like an executioner.
 The sweaty bald man in the thick glass cubicle
 - punch-proof, I’m sure -
 has no idea what is about to hit him.

 - Where is photo evidence? (Calmly.)
 Are you targeting foreign car-plates  
 on purpose? (Menacingly.)
 Do you wish that we involve
 The Embassy? (As if that would help.)
 What you will do is give us our car back
 and we will forget about it.

 The chubby Austrian really sweats now.
 I feel sorry for him
 but it passes.

 He hands out the keys.
 We leave.

 Amore looks at me
 with that weird pride
 as if he could read my thoughts
 and I wonder
 whether he feels the same way about us
 and which one was the car. 

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And now let’s see how to add – or not – elements to photos.

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  At the start of my journey I knew something was coming.

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  The first photo after that minute above. Add cars, clouds, pole, hedge. And sunshine!

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  Add a carabinieri door and a tree.

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  Add power lines and some roofs.

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  Add the road and houses in full.

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  Add more road, more trees, more space!

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  Add the rainbow between two trees and a curve. And don’t take photos while driving!

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  Add a Norwegian flag (in Italy, why not?) and a lovely country road.

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  Add a wiper and a line of trees.

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  And then – add the town of Orvieto!

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  Make sure you get the entire town. And add a tree above.

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  Add Private property sign.

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  And the full tree and house and… (Maybe stop there.)

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  Fifty minutes after the first rainbow photo I reached the Orvieto station and it was still there.

For Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, hosted by Amy at THE WORLD IS A BOOK…: Less is more

and for

Day 29 of NaPoWriMo