Maru

the Salento sun
burns me black
heart a dark stone
severo, scuro
in a land which breathes
of the ocean salt
sharing its life
as the dying within me
sees not the beauty
with my back to the sun

the iron gates
of centuries-old
olive trees and vineyards
surround me like a cage
of my own doing
never sharing their secrets
or allowing my eyes to see
bel niente
is all that remains
of this hardened heart to share