this is a window
in
florence italy
7 via de conti
to be exact
twenty five years ago
give or take a few months
i sat on the other side
looking out
watching merchants, tourists, students, neighbors
wander to and from
the san lorenzo market
occasionally
my friends would shout
from the street below
an invite to the jolly cafe
pink floyd videos playing all day across the back wall
grande heinekens and great hot dogs
cheap
really cheap
tacked along the walls within that room
behind the window
were
posters
photos
letters from home
beds shoved against
3 of the 4 walls
and
3 strangers from california
became
memory makers
memories that swarm
and ooze like honey
into the creases of our lives
of days
that changed us
made us bold
gave us a bit more context
allowed us to shed our comfort
i visit this window each time i come to florence
and this year
the 25th anniversary
the shutters are flung wide
exposing
an
empty building
i asked the shop keep
across the way
about my surrogate home
he simply said
non c'e piu
it is no more
*i am currently traveling about italy...gathering more memories