Europe but mostly Italy People, art, landscapes, the culture As a child in the thirties and forties most of what was happening in the world had passed me by. I preferred wandering barefoot in fields and woods, alone. I would lie down in the grass, among sun-kissed wild strawberries, and watch the clouds move slowlyContinue reading “Wedding I”
Author Archives: Erika Bizzarri
Belonging II
TO A SPECIFIC STREET IN A SPECIFIC TOWN When I got married, we moved to a specific street, in a specific town, in a specific part of Italy. It was not simply a village but a real town with several thousand inhabitants and I discovered that it was the people with whom I identified moreContinue reading “Belonging II”
Belonging
To place, to who we are. Belonging to the many places we have lived in. Places that have become part of our story, part of our lives. Immigrants over the years. Or emigrants. Places where fate takes us, sometimes we find it has been drawing us like a magnet ever since we were born, placesContinue reading “Belonging”
That Time of Year
It’s that time of year. Bees and bugs and butterflies. Beetles of various shapes and hues. There were two of them who came to pay me a visit. One appeared on my flower pot outside, the other one was inside, trying to get out. The first was black and really handsome, his long antennas wavingContinue reading “That Time of Year”
Never-ending Books
A friend comes to visit. Yes, I know that’s what last week’s post started with. And what do we talk about? Books. Yes, we still talk about books. Not ones we have read, but those we have listened to or watched. These are books we have “seen”, and include a third person, not just theContinue reading “Never-ending Books”
Books
Things shared Experiences Words Books Things heard, things seen: these can be simultaneous. But not touch or taste. For those they must be translated into words. A friend comes to visit. And what do we talk about? Books. We might have shared experiences, things heard, things seen. But it is books that connect us most.Continue reading “Books”
Lights
Inside and out. Clock, bed, lamp. Fireflies. Lights in the dark of night. I think of Pirandello’s story of the light across the way, the story of a solitary man fascinated by the scene he saw in the house across the way where in the evening when light enveloped the family seated around a tableContinue reading “Lights”
Birdie
Birdie with a yellow bill, hopped upon my window sill The birdie with a yellow bill I saw just now hopped . . . upon the branch of a chestnut tree, and chirped away looking for a mate as the wind ruffled his feathers and the leaves around him. Inside, on my window sill, aContinue reading “Birdie”
The Tree
January or February. A winter month. Down by the gate a network of bare branches rising from the imposing trunk of the chestnut tree is silhouetted against a sullen sky. At night stars glitter, pin-pricked against a pale moonlit sky. There may also be the moon before it wanders elsewhere. On each branch, Nodes, almostContinue reading “The Tree”
The Snail
Snails are molluscs or gastropods and they have only one foot. In my house in the country I had not only mice but snails perambulating around. Of course, with only one foot one can’t really say they walk. They creep or crawl. Maybe even slither. Which they do of course. There have even been snail races.Continue reading “The Snail”
Mice or Mouses?
Years ago, when I lived in the country by myself, I had to lay down the law for mice. One can’t help liking these little creatures, until one sees the havoc they can create. Yesterday a piece of chocolate left over from an Easter egg displayed a series of tooth marks on one edge. Aha!Continue reading “Mice or Mouses?”
Bilingual
Same concept, dfferent language Don’t know if it is a matter of age, but when one is what can be considered bilingual, and the equivalent of a word in that other language refuses to come to mind, one starts worrying. At least it takes time for that word one is looking for to surface. IContinue reading “Bilingual”
Postscript to Homeless
FREEDOM ABOVE ALL Of the various comments on my post, Homeless by Choice, a particularly lovely one was in the form of an email from Marilyn, a former student of mine when I was teaching at Gonzaga in Florence in the 1970S. She stayed with us in Orvieto that summer and we remained in touch. Now aContinue reading “Postscript to Homeless”
Easter
a post that is a bit overdue Easter is late this year but it doesn’t really matter unless you depend on school holidays. Particularly if your father is a teacher. And I always seem to be a bit late with my posts. With a family that wasn’t particularly family oriented, holidays like Halloween for instanceContinue reading “Easter”
What Happens to Montalbano?
Camilleri, the father of the Italian police commissioner Salvo Montalbano, which became a series of mystery stories published by Sellerio, was originally a stage director and playwright. It is tempting to compare him to Pirandello, the Sicilian author known for his plays and short stories and awarded the Nobel prize in 1934. Camilleri died atContinue reading “What Happens to Montalbano?”
Homeless by Choice
Gaunt, with a straggly flowing grey beard and hair, he sits huddled in the doorway of the bank at the crossing of two of the main streets in town. Or you may find him on the short street that leads to the market where he is more sheltered from the wind. Wrapped in a blanket,Continue reading “Homeless by Choice”
If only or what if
Hah! It’s not the if only of several weeks ago. It has to do with the ould verbs. Could, would, should. Will have to check the etymology. Is it subjunctive? Oh dear, here one gets into Old English. I could have, I would have, I should have. None of which is what I did. However, this led me toContinue reading “If only or what if”
Francesco
If only he hadn’t wanted to finish weed-wacking that field. He’d put in a new cutting string that whirled around and effortlessly did away with what most people called weeds. Some were and some weren’t. He knew the difference and most of them, in one way or the other, were edible. You might have toContinue reading “Francesco”
Old Age
Finally old age has caught up with me. I had thought of it as an inevitable disease, but about which we can do little. It is there,lurking and waiting to surface, like shingles. It may not appear for a long time, but it’s there. Sooner or later we will all be getting older. It dependsContinue reading “Old Age”
Perks
Perks or unexpected aspects of what happened. Well, not exactly a perk but a way of looking at the positive side of having broken my leg. My computer screen, in addition to the usual trademark Apples, accompanies them with the words “We love you”, a reminder of the presence of my sons. Thanks to them,Continue reading “Perks”
Erika Bizzarri 