Ah Italy and Food

All over Italy north and south Cows and goats and their cheeses Corn polenta, mid-land pastas There white and red wine always pleases Beans and cabbages poor man’s wishes Folded with tomatoes and onions Add broth, and eatable Allium that helps the best dishes That strong flavored bulb even illnesses eases Ah Italy the chefs and mothers have such genius The country endowed with uncommon vigor of mind There you will find versions of dishes of every kind And though the Nazis were there people still dined Many sent their meats and cheeses to barns and homes Where people would run and hide leaving the worse behind Reminding us Bologna gave us sauce, pasta and pears In remembrance still everyone gathers and shares Ah Italy how I wish I could again be there But tonight in Santa Cruz there will be — Still be tomatoes, cheeses, pasta and pears