LOVE
Love is what moves humanity and the cosmos. If it were not for
this intense emotion, there could not even be life itself.
Love is therefore one of the most important pillars of life. Love
needs to be part of every type of human activity if we want harmony
between ourselves.
It is when Love is absent that things go wrong, because then that
element of care which we have for ourselves and others becomes
lost in the mire of our existence. To get out of such a situation, all we
need, once again, is love!
There are many types of Love. We can live one or more of these
forms of Love at any time. One of the basic elements of this emotion,
however, is that it is fleeting. We can lose it at any time. What do
we do then? Where do we go looking for it? I don’t know the
answers. What I do know is that manifestations of Love are present
around us at all times.
The first poem in this chapter ‘Love’ is an attempt at defining
what love is. Where and when we can find it or, better still, when
does it find us.
‘My friend’s smile’ was written when a friend of mine went to
Italy for a year to improve his Italian. There he met someone very
special. He used to mention her name often, as if he could not live
without her. His love for this young woman was particularly intense
during the first few months of his return to Australia.
There are so many more poems about Love. Indeed this first
chapter is dedicated to Love. It is one of the recurrent themes of my
poetry. I finish off the chapter with a song “ Long live love, hooray!”
Then I proceed to explore Love and Marriage. To finish, there is a
special subsection about an Italo-Australian wedding in Swan Hill, a
country town north of the State of Victoria in Australia, our Lucky
Country!
I finish off this chapter on Love by including also some poems on
Happiness. I hope that whoever follows the path of Love will also
be blessed with a state of Happiness. It seems to me that Love and
Happiness are natural allies!
Love
Love is fleeting
it goes walking throughout the world.
Everyone speaks of it,
everyone wants to meet it.
It comes close and says always
Hello! How are you!
It is confident, it is happy,
it is good company, it is a friend.
Love is reality
for those who have their hearts
full of kindness.
You embrace love
you hug it every night
you caress it,
you accept it as it is.
Love needs company,
everyone knows this if they have it.
Love never dies.
Love can be a vagabond. This is well known.
It goes everywhere
always running, playing,
singing...
like a child who makes you happy.
Love is rich in variety,
and changes fantasy into reality
Love is life, joy, happiness.
Love is what you want to do.
Love is hope and charity.
Love is to love people
with all your heart
without pitying them.
Love is to say “good morning”
to your neighbour.
Love is freedom and truth,
it is trust,
fraternity,
equality.
Love surrounds all
and loves everything.
My Friend’s smile
What a smile on the face of my friend
when he speaks to me of his woman!
He becomes like a child again full of happiness.
He thinks of her,
he’d like to hold her
very close, at night.
He looks in the distance...
“I wonder where she is now” he says...
and remembers those moments
by the seashore...
that last time before leaving.
I say to him “Dreams are more beautiful
than reality”.
But my friend smiles
with his vagabond look,
as if to say: “She is beautiful”.
Instead he chooses
silence.
Love on the Brighton Pier
I have loved once
a beautiful girl
on the Brighton pier.
Her bright dark eyes
glimmered with delight
like the waves glimmer
under the warm sun
of Spring.
An old lady walked by
and looked towards us,
but her eyes were far
beyond the times we knew.
She thought of the boy
who had loved her too
on the Brighton pier.
She had loved him...
and so did my love.
Time has faded away,
and my love too.
What I have now
is still that love I knew...
but have no more.
There Yonder
With dreams of vagabond love,
there yonder in those meadows of stars,
I hear a voice which says clearly:
“In your heart you’ll always find
the rebounds of love”.
Then I feel pain
mixed with sweet rancour
for those shining dark eyes.
A Feeling of Delicacy
Love...
a word whispered away in the wind's delicate
breeze,
carried over ocean waves in far away seas.
Cruel pearl of humanity,
jewel of light.
Truth! Thou art so bright...
so unpleasant, so clear;
but spring is always there...
and loneliness too...
together and apart:
a feeling of delicacy.
Oh, the good old days!
What a situation!...
To live a love untrue...
To feel the way you do...
To flirt on the dunes of time
in a desert covered with lime.
Romance is passion in disguise
mistreated by love’s oversight,
left on the pillow of truth
in nights shining bright.
We hawk the present,
retaining the moment...
and, out of grasp by morn’,
when anew rejoices dawn,
we leave the past forever...
to pass from dune to dune...
to return on the prints of time,
which, alas!, are no longer the same...
moving about in closed walls
where loneliness gnaws the heart,
where self relearns its truth
forever knowing the whys
that it no longer survives.
To the girlfriend of my Youth
Dear flower of my youth
how I would have liked to touch your heart
with such a sweet and tender friendship
that the stars could have smiled at us
from a dark sky in a winter’s night!
Oh my love of all times
you inspire the greatest of poets.
You touch the heart of the courageous
and weaken the strength of the great.
My friend from past times,
I remember you always:
under a bridge of a village,
in the air of the astronauts,
running on fresh grass
and on the clouds of my heart.
The beautiful blonde
Oh beloved blonde
with the gentle heart,
you are the most beautiful flower
of the whole world!
You are an angel on firm land
and woman in the infinity of the skies.
You are a guide dog of the blind on Earth
and an altar of hope in dark churches.
Your smile extends in the immensity
like rays of sunshine in Spring.
Your beauty rejoices the gentle heart,
Your eyes shine with tender kindness.
Your hair loosened in the breeze
makes a flag for pretty beauties.
A gentle person has a gentle heart,
a rough young villain has a hard heart.
Wounded by your beautiful looks,
love forgets its duty in an instant,
whilst you, beautiful amongst beauties,
bring hope to an unloved heart.
Undecided Heart
Night ice of my heart turn
your shadows towards the infinite
and look at the two shining stars
play in the vast radiant mantle.
Up there, on the other side of dreams,
in the eternal peace of hearts,
two small lights think about
nothing else but themselves.
Further up, from a golden balcony,
you can see an enchanted castle
full of happy prisoners,
chained with soft thorns.
The enchantment thaws for a moment
and opens the doors to love
for those who have not yet known
the joy of summer days.
But you, undecided fool, continue
to play with the human Venus
because you still do not know
that stars also have
hearts.
The star of the world
Look at the light of the sun,
oh sweet friend !
Continue to live in hope,
oh delightful soul !
Only you will save the world,
oh divine creature !
Faith, hope, charity
are for you three sweet flames
which burn in your gentle heart
with a growing force of love.
Example of divine friendship
in the eternal earthly world
ensure that men revere
your beauty, your soul.
You are a mortal woman, I know,
but you acquire a divine appearance
in front of my earthly eyes.
Virtue is for me an ideal,
for you, oh my dear friend, it is reality.
I look at your pale face,
I look at your glance full of kindness,
you caress me with sweet words,
you caress me with your infinite love.
I see you and the stars in the sky:
You are the star that lights the stars,
in you is wrapped all the love of the world,
in you the dreams of different beings.
Lost dreams
Star in the changing sky,
why do you vanish in an instant?
Am I becoming blind
or are you disappearing with time?
Do you remember those times past
when I, on that evening of summer,
looked at you in the infinite sky
and felt your warmth in my heart.
Cold is the present,
ice is my mind.
Your rays now lost
in other worlds, in other spheres,
no longer touch that child
who lives beyond my dreams.
I regret that moment in the past
when I looked at you in the infinite:
you, oh my dear, took my hand,
and brought me into the heart of human Utopia.
Now I no longer dare to look,
no longer raise my eyes towards the sky.
I know that I won’t ever again look up to heaven,
never again dream!
A Memory
Out of the immense darkness of the sea
in a warm night of summer
two lights glimmered in the horizon
where eternity meets the South Seas.
My heart carried into infinity
by thoughts of everlasting joy
implored time to stop for a moment.
Peace overwhelmed my being
while I looked at the stars
and in the eyes of my love.
There, motionless, under that gum-tree
she looked out to sea:
her gaze embraced that cloak of darkness
while her lips drank champagne from a paper glass.
The winds of time have unfolded again
but memories of those moments past will never be spoilt
by this rat-race world.
On that night of my birth
I heard from the starry sky
music of angels sing the wonders
of God and the greatness of Love.
Gift of Life
The dearest, the greatest,
the most beautiful gift of life
is love.
It transcends life itself,
death… everything.
The seas, the skies, the stars,
the mountains capped with white,
the hills in flower, the trees,
the birds… all of nature
is a slave to its yoke.
But one day will come when I,
seated on a bench,
under a tree in flower,
will look down towards the horizon,
in that twilight of summer,
besides her… with dreamy eyes,
with sweet looks, full of life,
but at that moment in peace.
I shall love that open mind,
that dazzling smile,
the weaknesses, the soft pink cheeks,
the kindness and the human virtue.
That day I shall tell her: “I love you.”
Forever... I dream
Shy, fleeting and young,
my beautiful one, who among so much din,
has always retained her decorum.
She seems to me in moments of cheerfulness
statuesque and divine in reality.
She has always appeared in my serene days
uncatchable… like when as a child
I put out in vain my tender hands
to grab the stars so far away.
What a pity! I could have in this vain
world enjoyed the joys of Spring,
which always passes so quickly,
with no goodbye.
Gone with the wind
Oh my dreams so warped and vain,
when attracted by Spring’s breeze,
so cold and thoughtless, so inhuman
in the face of lovable looks…
Reckless, like iron-clad gloves
piercing the weary and desperate looks.
Then joy surmised, left afoot,
on Winter’s days in Summer lights,
revealing to me the cold of noon,
the shadowy mist of past remains!
I loved the beauty of unsuspected truth,
the solitary look fading with time,
till the ‘morrow shone so bright
on green fields so peaceful and quiet.
I loved the joy of serenity:
happy neglect
of human resort.
I need the stillness of cool nights,
when tenderness rejoices skylarking bright.
Lost times never return
to mend the ways of past mistakes.
Why! The future, raven-like,
selfish and brute in warmly sights,
where dreams bewilder
in nature’s spite.
Love, remote on strong delight,
reserves the right to deserving right.
Out of bad no good can come,
nay forever, not even tonight!
By the Sea
Oh glorious sun, growing old as the shade
of night approaches, you’ve built in this
heart of mine an eternal nostalgia...
a nostalgia evermore present whenever
I watch your fiery head slipping behind
the horizons of these Southern seas.
I want to sing to you then a lone
sentimental song of love, but yeah,
each time, you grow wise and leave me cold.
And my song still sleeping in my heart
warms my being with loneliness,
while there yonder, over the blue, love
transcends my loneliness too.
And love enters my heart so harmonious
and free that I feel it’s all for me:
then I want it to spread at large,
to stay for once with humanity,
together with nature, wedded eternally.
But then sunset breeds the night
and I stop feeling...and back to dreaming.
A Song of Peace
Oh lovers who have passed the summer days
step for once over time’s eternal print!
Relive again the bygone days when you,
seated by the winding river, listened to
the willow trees sing an eternal melodious
song of peace.
Feel the wonder of nature,
the greatness of man and his blessed state.
Love truth be it passing,
love justice for its own sake and, above all,
love the sky, your days and your dreams.
Don’t get old in your niche of time,
don’t blaspheme life and fate.
Be happy with your own lot,
but don’t forget to look for more
while forever singing
a melody of love,
a song of peace.
Portrait of Indifference
Iced moments of cruelty
mean revenge, loneliness.
An empty domain indeed!
Like a breath of cold,
deadly...a king cobra.
Ah! It hurts, it hurts...
No tears. Staring looks
only
in eyes that long have shared
knowing glances, smiles of tender joy.
Where once distance was no barrier,
now so close... an iron curtain.
No...in my heart there is still sorrow:
a twinkle of hope laying on the edge
of a sandy cliff.
Cruelty is no answer, no revenge...
there is my heart on a silver tray
ready to die a withered death...
by the hands of love... a cold fish.
Nay in Spring has love so melted.
Nay a petal has lost its right
to live, to grow, to shine with beauty.
Nay the skies have been so still,
so willing to swallow in its red vault
the warm stars of a once glittering heart
which no longer feels,
which no longer can love
a Venus of loneliness,
a portrait of indifference.
Surprise
Full of mirth my fair lover’s
smile enchants the moment with her
twinkling eyes...and her mouth...
oh... she is poking her tongue out!
My Woman
Listen my woman,
listen to the notes of love
in my sighs,
in my words.
It’s all a shouting
of anxieties, of emotions.
When I am together
with you, happiness.
You are mine,
like the sun takes the day
so you accompany me.
At work I feel your rays
that heat up my wings.
I feel the warmth of your body
whilst I spend my time
in different activities
that take me away from you.
I want you every moment,
you are close to me.
When I turn around… I feel
and I touch you in the emptiness.
I feel your smile
inside my smile,
your wet lips of love.
Your eyes that see me
between the walls of my world
far away from you.
I want you, my beauty.
You are here.
And when I shall see you,
oh no!
Love is finished.
I no longer live
without you.
Stay close to me, my love.
Stay close to me, my love.
The Willow Tree
That
misty
willow tree
still gives me
ecstasy
as I remember
the gentle
delicacy
of her loving
femininity.
An Embrace
The
warmest
embrace
can
sometimes
give
the
greatest
pleasure:
as if,
in the heat
of summer,
you were
kissing her
underneath
the coolness
of the giant
willow tree.
Saint Valentine
Valentine, Valentine
where are you, oh Valentine?
Deep in your heart
you will find me, your Valentine.
Valentine, Valentine
do you go away sometimes?
As time is eternal, you know
that I am and can only be your Valentine.
Is that why I feel good
inside me and am happy to be?
That’s the reason for loving,
for joy, for togetherness..for ourselves.
You know that in my life
you have been and are my Valentine!
Long live love, hurrah!
In my heart I feel tonight,
oh you who are listening,
this feeling
that I want to give you.
I’d like if all the world
would sing a song,
the one with you
to live with love.
I’d like to always dance,
to remain happy
for all my days,
to make my heart content...
Long live love, hurrah,
hurrah for the greatest love
of all those lovers
who sing thus...
Let’s drink, let’s drink together
let's hold hands,
Let’s dance the merry-go-round
always singing “love”
I’d like to sing with her
who has a golden voice.
I’d like to stay close to her
close to her with my heart.
Now we feel together
this our great love
for joy and happiness,
to die without pain...
Long live love, hurrah,
hurrah for the greatest love
of all those lovers
who sing thus...
Let’s drink, let’s drink together
let's hold hands,
Let’s dance the merry-go-round
always singing “love”
Long live love, hurrah,
hurrah for the greatest love!
Long live love, hurrah,
Long live my love.
LOVE AND MARRIAGE
Love doesn’t always end up in marriage… but
marriage is for many the natural port of a loving
relationship…
Marriage is where love brings its hope, its dreams,
its growth… where a home, a family is formed. Where
children, relatives, neighbours arrive. Where one grows
slowly, becomes older. Where love resides in the time
which we have on this earth.
Many times the love between two people is formed
early, or is formed a little late or it stops altogether.
Often marriage is not the place in which young love
finds its fertile ground. There are too many things in life
that can challenge the couple. It is important to strive
for mutual respect as well as maintaining one’s own
individuality.
When mutual love is present, everything is possible.
The couple very slowly becomes ‘one’, even with its
individual differences. In English they say: “Love and
marriage go together like a horse and carriage”, that is
love and marriage go well together.
In Australia I have worked as a Master of
Ceremonies at wedding festivities. When I used my two
languages, considerations on the couples that married
often came to mind. I saw many couples who loved
each other truly, and others who at times made you
think that perhaps that perhaps the matrimonial knot
may not have lasted. Often I heard from others that
things for one couple or another had gone contrary to
my expectations on the wedding day. The unexpected is
possible in the case of love and marriage.
On the Road to Marriage
When you meet your partner,
the one who was made for you,
you begin a new life in company.
Along the way your journey
can be a real winner
for you can plan ahead
whilst holding your hands.
You can hug in Winter
to make the cold pass by.
You can smile in Spring
and rejoice in the joys
that lie ahead of you.
You can share in the warmth
of Summer with all its sunshine.
Then in Autumn you can see
the fruits of your love,
of your shared company.
When you have chosen to walk
together within our humanity
then a married pair you will be!
I Love You
Then I saw
in the glitter
of your eyes
the love sparkle
of attraction.
All this time
we have spent
in mutual discovery.
We have found
in each other
a companion.
This is the reason
for my proposal
that we marry.
I believe in our promise
to love, to live, to share
all that we have
and all of ourselves
to each other.
Let there be no
greater bond than
to wake up each morning
and to say “I love you”:
to mean it each day
and every day of our life.
I Do
In our love
for each other
We have discovered
a mutual respect and understanding
that goes beyond
all else in life.
We have found
the seeds which
will grow in time.
They will bring
harmony and balance
for our respective needs.
We don’t have to be
the same individuals,
but we must compliment
ourselves in the course
of our daily living.
As partners, we owe
each other loyalty
and protection.
The bond which
we have sealed
is a beginning
in our path
for a life together
as a true couple.
Today we were married
We were made
to be together.
This I have known
from the first
moment we met.
There is no greater
emotion than the one
we feel for each other.
This natural bond
between us is stronger
than ourselves.
That’s why we have
sworn our life in
front of God today.
We raise our
thanks to him
with a deep felt
prayer for our
future together.
Let our world
be full of peace
and mutual respect.
Let there be
the natural extension
of our love
in the creation
of our family.
We are one!
You’re now mine
and I am truly yours.
We are one
We are married.
Behold our love!
Tonight we celebrate
Let’s give each other
love, care and a fair go.
We now walk together
into a new dawn.
This new day will bring
for each other a new beginning.
We want to live under
the one roof to share
each new day with love,
with affection and understanding.
We accept each other as
we are and pledge that
we shall work together
to make our lives better.
Tonight we are surrounded
by family and friends.
We have gathered here to share
our “first” meal as husband and wife.
We look ahead to our own
family luncheons in our home.
We share a new sense of freedom
together as one - we are one!
You are now mine
and I am truly yours.
We are married,
we are one.
Let’s give it a go
and be fair to each other:
behold our love,
tonight we celebrate!
We now walk
into a new dawn,
a new day: tonight
we celebrate our marriage
and a new beginning.
We are surrounded
by family and friends
We have gathered here
to share our meal together.
We perform this ceremony:
this long awaited day
with a new sense of freedom
together as one - we are one!
ITALO-AUSTRALIAN WEDDING
From when I arrived in Australia in 1963, I have often
experienced the celebration of an Italo-Australian
wedding. I have been invited, I have gone to Church, I
have been to the celebration party in some hall or
restaurant both in the city and in the country. I have also
worked in the kitchen as a chef’s assistant, then in the
reception room as a waiter or head waiter and finally I
have even worked as Master of Ceremonies for a quarter
of a century!
What I have liked the most from this positive weekend
experience has been the atmosphere that was created
before, during and after the day of celebration with
family members, relatives and friends. In my case even
with those people who worked for the guests to prepare
and then serve them dinner, to regulate the evening
following a well defined programme which has then not
changed much during all these years.
The formula of the Italo-Australian wedding is recognised
from the fact that the families with relatives and friends
celebrate the couple united in holy matrimony. They also
enjoy themselves with dinner, music, dance, the cutting of
the ribbon, and the cake, the toasts with the saying of
‘they are a jolly good couple’, and then the official
dance, be it the traditional waltz or a musical piece
chosen by the couple. There were also the telegrams, the
presentation of flowers and gifts to the best man and
matron of honour, groomsmen and bridesmaids, flower
girl and page boy and the parents. No-one is in fact left
out… or so it was
for a long time.. Now with the second and third
generations of the children of Italian immigrants we begin
to see a little more diverse approach. At times these
celebrations can be simple or extravagant, but the basic
principle of celebrating holy matrimony has remained.
For this reason I have wanted to include in this second
volume of Poetry My Friend something different but with
a typical spirit of our life here in Australia. The poetical
story of a car trip from the city of Melbourne to Swan Hill
a town in the north west State of Victoria
How many times the now dearly departed Joe Maggio, a
cordial and sociable personality, called me to be Master
of Ceremonies to so many couples who were getting
married. I’ll always remember with affection his welcome
and the very civil way in which he used to address
everyone. I also dedicate this poetic journey to my young
niece Maria Angerami who observed my writing in the
car during the trip, whilst her mum was half asleep and
her dad was driving.
Towards Swan Hill
Dad at the wheel
of the old Kingswood…
we pick up the uncle,
the ‘multi’ Australian.
The invitation to the wedding
takes us on the road
to Swan Hill.
Along the way
you can see the sheep,
the horse farms
and other farms.
In the background of the car,
sounds of Elton John.
The sun shines,
the roar of the air
caused by the speed,
a bread roll and coffee
under the eucalyptus tree:
life in movement.
Mum smiles with her eyes.
In the air of the Australian
landscape, the sun is shining…
The Driver
The too straight road,
boredom accompanies the driver…
and he anxiously runs, runs,
runs at his wheel!
He doesn’t know that
the movement hinders
my creation!
The road is long,
the magpie flies frightened
across the road.
The poet grumpily:
“drive at a hundred!”:
The driver goes
always more straight.
The foot accelerates
until it reaches 120.
Shhh…don’t interrupt.
All is calm…
The calm brings on sleep.
The driver with his mind
puts many of his cows there
in the meadow… he dreams
with his eyes wide open.
The sheep nibble at the grass,
there is no shepherd
but only thorny,
barbed wire fences.
The real Australia!
The sun shines…
water on the sides
of the straight road
speaks of night rain.
Towards the wedding we go
away from the polluted city.
The driver has become
aviator! We fly towards
Serpentine!
There, in the distance, a touch
of Australian scenery!
A group of trees
in the middle of the desolate
countryside!
All a game of eternity.
The man drives… tiredness
and boredom catch all
of them differently.
The driver comments:
“What a bird shit!”
The mother silently sleeps
behind her sunglasses.
Maria is half asleep
with a tiny wink of the eye
on the moving poem!
The writer makes
his pen walk…
The driver lights up another
cigarette… what an ugly vice!!
We go through a small town
but it quickly goes away.
The road opens in front of us
the extended plain of the Loddon valley.
The Mosquito
The other Thursday night,
in the middle of the deluge,
a pretty mosquito
was born under the ear
of a black sheep.
Skitty, the mosquito,
began his brief life
under a dark sky
and the weather full of clouds.
It was wet, this world,
for all of Friday.
The sun came out on Saturday,
but that mosquito, poor soul,
ended up on the window-screen
of the Kingswood with
a big ‘splash’.
What a swindle is life!
Stop
At Kerang a stop
under a gum tree
seated on a bench
with the thermos half full:
a small cup of coffee,
already sugared.
Necessary pause…
a little chat
then again the road.
Evidence of heavy rain
already past…
Drought is far away…
blue sky
with bunches of white clouds,
green extension, on the left.
A salt lake.
Now and then the shorn
white sheep confirm the already
well advanced springtime.
Reflection
Breath of fresh air
the humming of the speeding car
that breaks peace or solitude,
however you want to call it.
It’s a world
that makes you appreciate
the warmth of humanity.
Terra Australis
under the Southern Cross.
Refuge of migrants
of all nationalities!
Lake Boga
Here is Lake Boga
with its small boats.
It announces Swan Hill:
a railway bus
comes towards us.
Memory of the Pioneer Settlement.
The exiled small houses
in the middle of the vast green.
A moment of civilization!
Who knows whether it’ll last!
Motel
Here we are at Rio Vista.
We have arrived. Greetings.
Joe takes the cake.
The motel. Preparation.
For everyone, the church.
For me… the list,
the programme, the shower…
missing are the black socks,
the after shave lotion.
Background film
on the American fleet.
Foreign conflicts
to my moment.
Four oranges
and an apple.
I refuse the coffee…
there is a ‘furry friends’
on the small table…
the koala is looking at me.
I order from the menu
tomorrow’s breakfast.
They have arrived from the church…
Not yet…
I am waiting in the Flag Inn
of Jane Eliza.
The English names make
the memory
more alive,
more real.
It’s cool
but everything is in order.
I am ready. I wait.
Here we are! On time!
Reception Hall
Accompanied to Rio Vista.
Joe is not there. I wait.
I look at the preliminaries.
I am ready. Everything is in order.
They arrive: photographer,
video producers,
members of the band.
Tense, anxious moment.
Worrying, but calm.
The quiet before the party.
Here come the first guests.
The mother with the bottle
to heat up for the baby.
The man who asks for his place,
then more numerous the guests.
Good evening. Smiles. Cordiality.
Cocktail, signatures on the registry,
the inquiry for the table.
Confusion. First atmosphere.
The small error,
lack of communication,
the small requests,
they are all seated…
we are almost ready.
I organize the wedding party:
family members, best man
and matron of honour,
bridesmaids and groomsmen,
bride and groom,
flower girl and page boy.
I announce the entrance.
All upstanding.
Welcome to the guests
on behalf of the Padula
and the Attardo Families.
Enter the parents,
grandmothers,
brothers and sisters.
Here are the bride and groom.
Music for this occasion.
Ribbon to the page boy
and flower girl, scissors
to the bride and groom.
The Ave Maria,
video lights,
flash for the photos.
The cutting of the ribbon.
Best wishes. Choir of
“For they are a jolly
good couple”.
Toast.
Have a good meal.
The Dinner
Hors d’oeuvres already on the table.
Music entertains the evening.
Lasagna. Floor show by Sam.
Everything smooth. Service to the band.
Preparations for the first dance.
Streamers in hand. The wedding party
encircles the bride and groom
on the dance floor.
Lights, flashes, applauses.
I open the dance…go!
Have a good evening.
Happiness
Happiness is a state of being, of living, of the positive.
Humans and also animals, even the environment, the
community or the institutions can find themselves in a phase
of happiness. Feeling happy can last for a period of time. It
varies from situation to situation. We often find happiness in
our idealistic interpretation of the existence of facts that give
us hope for a better future.
Happiness is above all an exalting sentiment that makes us
feel light, that makes us appreciate how beautiful everything
that surrounds us is! Often happiness is born from love;
sometimes when we least expect it. It always brings
satisfaction, so much optimism, a great deal of peace. For
these reasons happiness is sought and recognized as one of
the most important factors in our existence.
‘Happiness’ idolises the birth of a child from a young
mother’s point of view. The miracle of birth brings to her a
delirious happiness. Whilst in this state, she expresses self
doubt about her ability to raise the baby; she hopes for a
good future and foresees the ultimate joy of one day
continuing her life through her creation.
“In prison with happiness”, explores the concept that we
can only derive happiness from security. In the case of the
canary, used to a monotonous life with her companion in a
cage, realizing freedom means a loss of security. When she
is made to return to her prison, the female canary reappraises
her own existence.
Most of the time, happiness has need of freedom, it brings
joy and pleasure, it makes whoever has it powerful. It seems
that fortune brings to the happy people only goodness and
well being, that their life is successful, that everything arrives
to them favourably. They are victorious and strong beings.
Happiness is not however lasting or exclusive. Therefore it
goes walking amongst men and women, old people and
children, even amongst canaries! In this, my collection of
reflections on happiness, you will find examples of who is
happy and in what circumstances. It’s not said that happiness
can be captured or retained by those who feel happy, in fact
it is so frivolous and changing that it is capable of
disappearing even before the happy person is aware of it!
Whoever wants to be happy can be happy. There is no
certainty about tomorrow and worrying too much about
mundane things doesn’t bring to anyone that daily possibility
of finding happiness, which in reality is always within reach.
Happiness
A bud gives me hope
because it represents happiness.
It’s like love being born,
a joy of Spring.
And you, my dear friend,
you’re a proud plant,
the mother of a flower.
That flower in Spring
is all of your life,
it is a part of your heart.
Its delicate petals illuminate
the blue sky with bursts of light
and warmth.
The world is proud,
the stars are enchanted
for this miracle of life.
The clouds disappear quickly
behind the horizon, because
a flower is born.
It’s born! Happy moment!
Spring bud! And it’s all
enveloped with motherly love.
“This love is mine”
shouts the mother to the wind.
“Thank you my God
thanks again.
I’ll do my best, I know.
Thank you divine angels
who, joyfully, sing
for my baby.
Thanks, Mother Earth.
He is so small! What shall I do?
He is mine, he is my baby!
What joy! What happiness!
My heart trembles
rich with joy!..
Once I too was so small!
But now I am a plant
which cries, which laughs
for love.
One day I shall see
this bud
open in Summer,
become a plant too.
And he will be someone else.
But I made him live,
I gave him life.”
It will be a happy day
when the stars will be no more,
when darkness, oh my friend,
will be yours... ours.
But happy will be that day
when you shall raise your eyes towards the sky
and, with a divine smile,
you will close your eyes satisfied
because your life will live again
and again...
And then the stars
will smile at you;
then you will know the secret,
the secret of life.
Fulfilled you will smile too
at the stars.
Tell them then that you left
your baby
down there amongst the plants,
the flowers, in a valley,
on the roads, in a house,
under a bridge of love.
Tell them that he is still
thinking of his mother,
and again she will be with everyone.
In prison with happiness
I have in my garden
two canaries in a cage.
One day the female canary
freed herself
but remained close to the cage
asking herself these questions:
“What shall I do now? Where shall I live
and with whom will I live?”
The male canary looked saddened
in the cage, alone, in his world now,
alone with his memories of happier times
whilst the female canary flew in the garden,
in the blue sky,
in freedom.
Finally tired the female canary
rested in the fresh grass
under the rays of the warm sun,
and thought of her companion in prison.
Then fell asleep.
A hand suddenly took her,
and she thought
“this is the end”,
but to her surprise, the hand - by force
brought her back into the cage.
The male canary jumped with joy
and caressed with renewed enthusiasm
his female friend, his lost love regained.
And so the female canary returned to her nest
and there in her prison
she happily stayed.
Rejoice!
Rejoice oh nature before evil done
for time of reckoning has come!
Rejoice oh you whose heart is fair
for wisdom and understanding are there!
Rejoice oh smile on the lips of whom
nature has taught good manners!
Rejoice! Rejoice forever oh heart of mine
amidst good and evil, in war and in peace!
The Wand of Happiness
Betrayed are the joyful dreams
of Spring as empty nights clouded
with dimly-lit stars. Like a hermit,
ever-wandering in the infinite,
happiness knocks in vain...
except in Spring...when
people care a little more.
Then again happiness wanders
away... and is shut in a cage
by time... just like that.
Happiness wants to stay,
but people send her away
cause people have become
slaves of convention,
prisoners by choice.
People don’t know that happiness
is in nature: the spring of joy.
Love is like a magic wand
that makes its miracles in the present.
Yesterday or tomorrow spoil the joy
of living the moment, of smelling the present.
No! I don’t want to leave the moment,
I want to know it better until tomorrow
when... who knows?