I like
to walk along the city's avenues
with the cool morning breeze
and the falling leaves,
harbingers of Autumn,
that creak beneath one's feet.
I like to walk
with the sound of the buses
and squeaking of the breaks,
with the shouts of the students
and the hurried pace
of those who cannot wait,
between those who greet each other with a kiss
and those who love each other hiding
among the still green leaves
of a tree in a park,
between those who have a sleepy glance
and those who, instead, are sad.
I like listening to stories,
quarrels and adventures
among the benches of a market,
looking at the shop windows
that invite the people in,
smelling the scent
of the waking up city.
I love the city
and when I don't see it
I miss it,
as if it were a lover.
It's here
always here for me
because it has what no lover has:
it never sleeps.

October 6, 2021