Italy, A poem for the day about my adopted home.

  

An ode to Italy

I live in a land
Where the lemon trees grow
In the shadow of mountains
Capped with snow

Terracotta pots
On a terrace by the sea
Jasmine, hibiscus
An old olive tree

It looks like a boot
With a frilly crown
Mountains round the top
And all the way down.

The Romans loved to build
Upon this precious soil
And every day we can enjoy
The beauty of their toil.

Villas and arenas
Coliseums, spas galore
Long straight roads that take you
All along the shore.

Invaders tried to come in
Over the mountains high
But they met brave Alpine soldiers
Who wouldn't let them by.

In the South, the Danes and Normans
Lay under the cloudless skies
So lots of the Sicilians
Have red hair and bright blue eyes.

The boot will sometimes kick
As earthquakes bring us fear
A ballerina dancing says
Who's the boss round here.

Cassata, gnocchi, pizza
So many things to eat
Every Italian region
Will offer you a treat.

Lakes and rivers and of course
The vast blue twinkling sea
A fragile land of beauty
That needs lots of TLC.