Roman Holiday

We had a Roman holiday
you and I
You held my hand
as we climbed the Spanish Steps
You whispered in my ear
"This is how it was meant to be"
We sat at the Trevi Fountain
sharing a pistachio gelato
Your arm draped around my shoulder
you pull me close and murmur
"We will always be together"
You put your hand in the Mouth of Truth*
"I will love you forever"
Your hand came out unscathed 
So I believed
I sit in the piazza
I absently stir my coffee
lost in thought
"I still love you"
you whisper
I hear your voice
carried on the wind
My eyes search the piazza
looking, needing, wanting
waiting

7/30/12

*The Mouth of Truth (La Bocca della Verità) has been considered a type of lie-detector since the Middle Ages. It is believed that if one told a lie with one's hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off.