Tolfa, Italy (2)

TOLFA, ITALY (2)

In Tolfa, the dead
Still walk
The narrow cobblestone streets,
Dip their hands
In black paint,
Press their handprints
Onto the walls,
But the dead
Do not have
The strength
Of the living.
Their pressing
Does not produce handprints,
But produces smears
That drip
And become mysteries.
The walls of the houses
In Tolfa are spotted
With these smears,
And these smears
I what makes
Tolfa a sacred city.


Duane Locke

Posted over on Thunder Sandwich