10 Oct 1985, Posted by Scott An Chora in Travelogue, No Comments.

10/10 Rome, Italy

Early morning trekked across town and I followed the cats to the Coliseum.  I was disappointed it was a ruin.  I would really have enjoyed if it had been rebuilt and had the opportunity to see mock gladiatorial games or mythological dramas within its walls.  When I was young my exposure to that type of history was either through reading books or viewing movies but to actually stand in such a historical site awakened the senses of my imagination.  I could almost make out the roar of the lions and the cheer from the crowd. There is an obelisk that stands between the ruins of Troy and the womb of a vestal virgin that separates the invincible sun and the truth, casting it shadow to the west.  The biggest fish in the river gets that way by never being caught.

Outside the walls and across the river, it took hours to bring down the bricks down
we painted ours red and adorned with graffiti but still on the outskirts of town
then between the horns of the golden alter, stood the emperor, robed with the sun
a white horse, a red horse, a black horse, around the obelisk and down the stretch they come

The locust rose out from the smoke, awoke the dragon and his seed
not a crucifix but a silent witness, change their words, the emperor decreed
they said they were singing a new song but it was the same that I heard before
Babylonian vines, Egyptians wines and images you just can’t ignore

I tossed a coin, and then chartered a bus to Tiviol to take in the water gardens.  It was nice to take some time and have a meal in the countryside, the local vineyards.  That night I ended up sharing my time with a bottle of wine just below Convento S. Maria in Aracoeli‎ overlooking the old city.  It wasn’t until after the tourist sites were visited, that I took advantage of my time and freedom to slow down and absorb Rome’s atmosphere and culture.  I took the same approach as if I were a painter in selecting a table and a bottle of wine, as if it was my next subject.  At the end of that day I decided to abandon my domicile, hopped on a late night train towards Pompeii and ended up in the first dive with a light on within walking distance of the train station in Naples.