The maestro slows the tempo
and the players respond in kind.
A long day in the Italian sun,
pizzicato children racing between discoveries
counterpoint of parents racing after them,
replaced by the long coda of late afternoon.
The tempo slows further, as the players pause
disappear
prepare for the next movement.
Intermission.
The baton signals the start of Passegiatta
Languid, late dinners, lingering over a cappuccino and conversation
The waiter enforcing the tempo - never rushing,
inviting the players to relish every beat, every measure.
Haste forgotten, or at least put aside.
Pairs of elderly women walk
arm in arm, shawls pulled tight
exchanging endless confidences.
Young couples, effortlessly hand in hand
walking no where, so slowly the music moves around them
Groups of young men
stylish, smiling, confident
plotting their next soccer goal.
Elderly men, scowling on a bench
measuring, critiquing, fondly remembering.
The palm trees sway a stately pavane
as the evening fades
and the maestro pauses
to breathe.
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