Photo " Bison Sun" Copyright © Paolo Campisi, Sicilian Family Productions,
All Rights Reserved
Angel Of The City
For Paula Kirtley
Three days a part of the city,
somehow things have changed,
the streets, the coffee shop,
to me, now have a name.
My mind is full of memories
as a tear rolls from my eye,
so many new emotions,
touching me deep inside
so many spirits,
their lives, their thoughts, their words,
the stories in their eyes.
On the final morning,
of the final day,
sipping on a cappuccino,
pondering on the ways these experiences
affected me.
Finding myself, fulfilled yet empty
in the same moment in time.
It is difficult to hold back the streams of emotions
from overflowing onto my face.
So from the morning rush hour
I hid my eyes.
Images, impressed upon my memories,
as realities of living return to me,
the house of a stranger,
the house of my friend,
kindness, compassion & empathy,
hope in the face of poverty,
the love between a mother and her child,
a search for dignity
in the midst of uncertainty,
hearts longing to love,
loving to live,
facing un-fulfillment, yet still able to give,
Trust.
The city called Roanoke,
to me now has a face and a name,
the angel,
and the lady who lives there,
live in me the same.
P. J. Campise
