Look up into the Silence 

​

lost in a labyrinth of dead-end allies 

monolithic buildings crowd the view

yet narrow paths over bridges stroll

as wafts of pasta guide you home

 

in the shadows of a hidden sun 

towering rooms are tied together

neighbours joined with wires and cables

drawing lines in a tangled web 

 

just hanging there are strings of life

towels and sheets and shirts and tops

that try to mask the more risqué 

but still we gaze and wonder what

 

hear the echo of distant sounds 

pots and pans and creaking beds

tv’s and mobiles ping and pong

as whispers fade into the night

 

behind closed shutters dare we peep

as morning's woken sleepy souls 

free their spirits from hidden rooms

to paint the city full of gold

 

built on more than one hundred isles

with water running through its veins 

feel the pulse and hear the trickle

see reflections in a Venetian dream

​

Keith Rogers I February 2024