Iowa Writes
ANNICE FREDERICK Roman Evening
The street vendor folded the wings of his windup bird and put away the lighted yo-yos. His day was done, though we were still wound up and lights were on the fountains. We had climbed the winding stairs of Saint Peter's dome to view Rome from the rooftops, stood awed before Michelangelos and Raphaels, gone down the Spanish Steps and drunk from the fountain at the foot.
The street vendor folded the wings of his windup bird and put away the lighted yo-yos. His day was done, though we were still wound up and lights were on the fountains. We had climbed the winding stairs of Saint Peter's dome to view Rome from the rooftops, stood awed before Michelangelos and Raphaels, gone down the Spanish Steps and drunk from the fountain at the foot. The steps were lined with people enjoying multilingual chatter and the spraying water sounds. The plastic bird had flown, white winged, against evening-darkened buildings, circling, returning to the vendor's hand. We left the square and serpented through narrow streets, backtracking, laughing, unfolding maps and moving on. Rounding a dark corner, we came upon the Pantheon's vast form, face lightened by moon and street light. Pantheon, "all deities," by architects who challenged earthquakes. I caught my breath a moment as the ancient edifice seemed suspended in time and space. There it stood, base lower than the streets and columns rising. Ray took my hand and we shot back in time a moment. Then the laughter urged us on and we rejoined the group that didn't know we'd left it.
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About Iowa Writes
Since 2006, Iowa Writes has featured the work of Iowa-identified writers (whether they have Iowa roots or live here now) and work published by Iowa journals and publishers on The Daily Palette. Iowa Writes features poetry, fiction, or nonfiction twice a week on the Palette.
In November of 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Iowa City, Iowa, the world's third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Iowa City has joined Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia as UNESCO Cities of Literature.
Find out more about submitting by contacting iowa-writes@uiowa.edu
ANNICE FREDERICK Annice Frederick has a BA in Art from the University of Iowa. She has been published in Lyrical Iowa, See Magazine, and Moments in Time. |
This page was first displayed on July 11, 2006
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