Ekphrasis 2

Her large wreath, 

Delicately crafted,

centered,

Rests firmly on her head. 

Her curls bound tightly,

Brushed back, 

Tied in a bun

So that her face is exposed,

To the warm sun. 

She gazes out,

Through her almond-shaped eyes.

Her lips as thin as rose petals, 

Are closed shut. 

Stretching her long body on the bed, 

She fills the space,

She takes pride in her appearance. 

Long legs,

Perky breasts, 

Nipples protruding.

Soft skin, 

Full hips,

Round thighs,

The look of vanity, 

on her face

Can be seen from far and wide. 

The weight of her head,

Rests on her right arm 

So that she can support herself. 

A pearl bracelet, 

Hangs from her thin wrists, 

It is her favorite accessory.

Two satin pillows, 

Rest behind her,

Plump but small,

Stacked one on top of the other,

Touch her porcelain-like skin. 

Her other hand, 

Holds a small red apple. 

She amuses herself. 

She hasn’t decided yet, 

If it is time to eat, 

The sweet delicacy. 

So she continues, 

To rest it in the palm of her hand.

The silky cloth, 

Covers her fleshy legs. 

The cloth intangles her body,

Hugging her tightly. 

The edges of the cloth, 

Clutching the mattress of the bed. 

The extravagant structure, 

That she rests on,

Proudly holds her body, 

Supporting her beautiful frame. 

The bed, 

Is adorned in gold details, 

Gold flowers, 

Gold drapes, 

And gold feet. 

In her private chambers, 

It is only fitting,

For a woman so beautiful, 

To be reclining on such a magnificent bed. 

(Paolina Borghese, Antonio Canova 06.05.2019).

Giornale 1

    The sun slowly started to set. The humid air hung to us as we ran towards the metro station. I was determined to start my Giornale early so that I would not be scrambling to finish all three of them at the end of the trip. For my first Giornale, Hannah, Emily and I went to Santa Maria in Trastevere. I recognized the area since I had passed the church a few times while walking through the Piazza di Santa Maria, but I had never noticed the church in the corner of the Piazza. 
The first thing I noticed when I gazed up at the façade of the church was that the first floor was made of marble but it was a very simple exterior. The only decorations were the ionic columns on the first floor while on the second floor, it was decorated with mosaics and beautiful images of palm trees that adorned the outside of the building.   
  As I stood in the atrium of the church, I remembered how Professor Curley had told the class that Santa Maria in Trastevere was known for its beautiful mosaics. In preparation for entering the church, I covered my shoulders in a sweater and prayed that no one would notice how short my skirt was since I had forgotten to pack pants in my bag. 
    As I entered, my eyes had to adjust to the dimly lit space. There were people sitting on benches in the back and someone sang in Latin but I couldn’t tell where the song was coming from.  My first instinct was to look up to the ceiling. The symmetrical designs adorned in gold caught my attention. Growing up in a family that attended church consistently for most of my childhood, I never remember seeing ceilings that looked so magnificent and geometrical. There was always a focus on decorating the apse of churches I attended but never the ceiling. I also appreciated that while the ceilings were intricately designed in Santa Maria in Trastevere, the floors and walls were simple. The floor had basic geometric shapes like circles that I would later learn were called Cosmati floors.  
    The mosaics in the church were magnificent and adorned the interior. This was my first time in a church that had mosaics, and while I was not able to identify many of the figures in the apse, I did identify Mary and the apostles depicted as sheep. 
    What I liked about this church was that it was a balance of being exquisite yet simple. St. Peter’s Basilica was gorgeous but for me, it could be an extremely intimidating space.  While the churches I attended as a child were simple which made them extremely welcoming but the spaces did not feel very special. Santa Maria Maggiore did a good job of having simple and elaborate features. I wasn’t able to stay for a long time because I was worried about the length of my skirt but I did really enjoy the space while I was able to walk around. While many churches that I visited looked the same to me by the end of our trip in Rome, I am happy I visited Santa Maria in Trastevere because I feel like it really differentiated itself from others that I had seen through its mosaics, ceiling, and balance of being welcoming while also being intimidating.
( Santa Maria in Trastevere 05/24/2019)

Giornale 3

   I was the first person to step into the cold water of the lake. The goosebumps that covered my body were probably visible to everyone passing by but I kept slowly creeping further into the water. Most of the locals were wearing large coats, pants, and socks but I plunged into the crisp water with no hesitation. I had never been inside a volcanic crater lake before in my life. The black sand was soft with silt floating in the water which looked like flakes of crystal. Since I was the first person in the water, I was able to focus on the beauty of the lake without being distracted by my peers. The sun stopped hiding behind the clouds so that the tops of the mountains that surrounded the lake glistened. The clear water shimmered in the sunlight. I didn't’ stay in the water for a long time but I remember thinking to myself how lucky I am to be at the lake. I felt at peace with myself and the earth.

   A few hours before, I had felt the exact opposite feeling because of public transportation.I was sprinting through Termini with the hope of catching the train to the lake. As I ran through the crowded train station, I clutched my backpack in front of me and kept running even though my lungs were begging me to stop. Frances had said that the train to Lake Albano was leaving in 10 minutes but we still needed to buy our tickets once we arrived at the station. Sadly, after waiting in a ticket line, we missed the first train but caught the second one needed towards the lake. On the train, Hannah, Peter, Frances and I ate our McDonalds as we passed rustic Italian towns and farms.

   I awoke to Frances nudging me to warn me that we had arrived. I could feel the excitement in her voice. She had never been to this lake before but she seemed hopeful that we would find a space to swim. The town on the right was beautiful, on top of the hill, we could see the rooftops of restaurants and shops almost hidden behind overgrown trees and bushes. Frances also pointed out that we could see the roof of the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo.

To find the lake, we followed a group of obnoxious Italian teenagers blastic music down the hill. However, we took out time, admiring the walk down that was very steep and overgrown with plants. When we arrived at the lake, it was more beautiful than I had originally anticipated because of the clear water, dark sands, and lushes vegetation.

When I signed up for this seminar, I wasn’t aware of how living in a city for two weeks would be difficult for me. I grew up spending many of my weekends and holidays with my family in New York City but I never realized until this trip how important is it for me to have nature. Looking out at the lake by myself, it was refreshing to see trees and mountains without being blocked by buildings and monuments. I contemplated what was important to me as I looked out onto the still water before being splashed by Frances.

Voyeur

“While I get the rest of the blankets, make sure Cherry doesn’t eat that garbage over there and all the dogs need water.  It’s too hot right now from them not to have any water!” said Mary. While Mary made the last trip to the car, Tom, her partner of eight years and their four dogs lay under a stout palm tree. The couple had decided to pack their bags and head to Rome for the day with their dogs. They left EUR early that morning after packing their car with snacks for the dogs, their tapestries and blankets for the day.

Tom and Mary had decided to take a picnic break at Piazza Cavour. The busy Piazza was bustling with people who were also enjoying the sunny weather. Mary pointed a palm tree which was a bit smaller than the others in the Piazza and exclaimed to Tom who was behind her, carrying some of their things that she had found the perfect spot to picnic.

After settling most of their belongings, Tom opened the big black backpack to his left to get the bowls and Poland Springs water bottle for the dogs. Cherry, Mary’s brown pitbull panted in the shade. Coco, Jewel, and Mimi had placed themselves to the left of Tom. The three chihuahuas which Mary liked to call the triplets had been Tom’s gift to her.

Mary and Tom had been together for eight years. Cherry had been Mary’s first dogs after she had graduated from college. Mary met Tom at her office at a Christmas party the firm hosted every year and they started dating soon afterward. Six years later, Mary had had four miscarriages and was told that she could not have children by her doctor. Tom had helped her through her depression, making sure to find a therapist and giving her time to grieve in the months that followed. The triplets were the gift that Tom had given Mary six months after she had talked to her doctor.  As Mary made her trip back to her car, she looked back to see her family behind her all laying underneath the palm tree.