Best Salerno Poems
My father and I in a long time past
played cards at the table and he would pause
to tell me a tale when he was young
as he did so many times before
but the stories would change
as he would rearrange
his life as a youth in the land of his birth
from Calabria to the Great White Way
as a merchant marine he sailed under the sun
and a rugged sargeant in World War One
wounded and gassed in a battle in France
medals of war and memories of grief
the war soon ended to give some relief
determined to find his place in the sun
Then he met Joe in a factory
who liked him a lot
he met Jenny, his sister
The belle of Salerno
his favorite spot
he pledged his vows and they were wed
together they bonded to share the bread
of life and its trials
what the world had to give
they raised six kids and a nice place to live
the kids grew up and were not there to stay
they raised kids of their own
but not far away
they would come on Sundays
for the traditional feast
of pasta and wine and delicious meats
But soon time passed and Mom got sick
we would all stay with Pop
as we all took turns
Mom got better now Pop was ill
he started to take the solace of pills
he needed help getting washed
and I’ll never forget
what he always said when I bathed him
as if on cue
when you get old, son, I’ll bathe you
he would still reminisce about the past
but he died one day
there was so much to know
his life became a mystery
because I never asked when I was young
when my father and I played cards
at the table in a long time past
Contest
Let the light shine bright on thee tonight
of the times I remember as a child
you never said much but your actions spoke
in the tradition of all ltalian folk
creating your meals with a classic flair
of pasta and soups with delicate care
your solemn look of holding back pain
but always a smile when the dinner came
as a child in Salerno, you dreamed of life
of writing words but it wasn’t to be
In the new world, America, you finally wed
to Joe, your amore then little ones came
quickly then slowly and then
there were six
and of the six begat twelve
extending the line to races and creeds
for your children you were always there
in your final days we were left to compare
your legacy of love
to all your family and friends until the end
Dedicated to my mother
Maria Vincenza (Ardovino) Sergi
Contest
I was looking down at the waves
bicycling along Salerno.
A sea-breeze is the air
from the seafront to the mountain
in every corner of the city.
Passing people enjoy the stroll
being born in a city to be rich.
Alberta Texas Florida …
We call her Bert for short
Was born near the Alamo
And soon brought to Port
Salerno in Florida … duh!
Where she contracted Covid
And languished in the ICU
Lucky to find a respirator
To no avail, it was a zoo,
So they finally took her off
In a unit close to the Gulf
And she became a statistic
Ten thousand and forty-two.
Bert chose not to be jabbed
Like so many nowadays
But it made little difference
For she died … anyways!
SIXTH PLACE WINNER
written December 14, 2021
especially for "Alberta Texas Florida" Poetry Contest
sponsored by Joe Maverick
MOM
Let the light shine bright on thee tonight
of the times I remember as a child
you never said much but your actions spoke
in the tradition of all ltalian folk
creating your meals with a classic flair
of pasta and soups with delicate care
your solemn look of holding back pain
but always a smile when the dinner came
as a child in Salerno, you dreamed of life
of writing words but it wasn’t to be
In the new world, America, you finally wed
to Joe, your amore then little ones came
quickly then slowly and then
there were six
and of the six begat twelve
extending the line to races and creeds
for your children you were always there
in your final days we were left to compare
your legacy of love to all your family
and all your friends until the end
In memoriam my mother
Maria Vincenza (Ardovino) Sergi
Truth Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Anthony Slausin
May 28, 2019
If there's a good wartime story worth telling and sharing:
this one should be told as it unfolds much sadness,
but amid disaster and hardship, hope was a light flickering
underneath those bomb-blackened, crumbling stones.
During World War II before the Allies landed
in Salerno, the city in Southern Italy,
my uncle was a prisoner of war in England...
an Italian was considered an enemy,
but Emma, the beautiful British woman, didn't see
it as a barrier and in that camp he treated him as a friend.
Was Emma moved by the pitiful look of a soldier
captured and brought to foggy England,
where the winds were as cold as the murky air;
didn't he dream of his distant motherland?
Needless to say compassion was found in Emma's heart
and her words brought much tenderness he never forgot,
" Soon this war will end and you'll breathe the crisp air of spring:
when a mockingbird's song will remind you of this far-away friend! "
Violence was his game
Tancred,prince of Salerno ,by name
Killed his daughter's true love
Delivered the heart to her abode
Infamy remembered in song,play and ode
Note: Tancred(1078-1152) killed Guiscardo,his daughter's lover and cut his heart out and
sent it to her,she then took poison.Tancred buried them together