In Rome

Prose poetry and fiction

Amae
The Lark
Published in
3 min readNov 28, 2021

--

Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

Hmm, what shall I say? You sound and look like a very passionate person who feels and is in touch with those feelings and is not afraid of expressing them. Well, I guess you have lived. If it burns: you scream, but alas, this might be my predilection.

It would be nice to go on a journey/trip with you. Maybe across the USA, or maybe walk around Rome but off the beaten track. Somehow, I don’t imagine that you would settle for anything less.

I cannot say that of many people I have seen. But, if photos can project one to another place, then yours have certainly had that effect on me. Maybe, you would be too much of a handful, but one, I feel, I certainly would not forget. You paint yourself in sepia hues. The contrast between the dark and light makes you look on edge.

Photo by sanjoy saha on Unsplash

Nicotine-stained fingers, I imagine staying in run-down motels with scooters boring through the brains at midnight. In sultry rooms, we would lie, sweating, the air heavy and suffocating.

From the oppressive humidity, we would struggle to breathe. Dust covers the floor marked with others’ footprints. A damp, wet velvet curtain hangs, the sweet, acrid citrus smell of perspiration spikes the air, taste: the earthiness of boudin in the musk. We sleep heavy on stained bedsheets. No, I guess no one could call you a sheep, one defined by labels, Abercrombie and Fitch, worn by men sans personnalité. Those who wear fake tan from skins that have never felt the heat of the sun, oh the joy of living, of feeling alive, experiencing the electric charge in the brain and surge through the veins. Thermals soar, a raindrop falls through heavy dark, ominous clouds. Lightning sparks reflected off the beads of sweat on your face. Licking the stale Vermouth taste of morning sweats spikes the tongue to feel alive.

Taste, taste, and feel alive. Eat Spaghetti alle vongole from rustic and not fancy restaurants. Eat lobster roasted on the beach or thick chunks of grilled beef prepared on the side streets. Breathe in the scent of asparagus-infused piss. Urinate on street corners and watch it evaporate from the sand. Drink wine straight from…

--

--

Amae
The Lark

Interested in people, nature, science and technology, and history. MSc in Research Methods (Birkbeck), MA Industrial Design (UAL)