Expostulations Of The Child-Man, The Pope In Italian Miniatures - A Mystery
The pope in Italian
exclaims, 'Bring me! '
and the echoes bring to him
his bounded wants.
The pope in Italian
twirls his fake mustache, hides behind curtains layered
thick, plots the Blessed Virgin tied upon the tracks, his
dramatic rescue of Her, the imagined headline, Greatest Of Popes.
The pope in Italian
embraces a Statue of St. Micheal when the
guards are not looking, whispers the hour of
the deed, pleads for advancement of the plot.
The pope in Italian
blesses conspiring shadows in mirrored tiles reflecting back, the
guards pretend not to notice his continual muttering, the halting gait,
the concealed silk handkerchief purposefully dropped, they wink at each other.
The pope in Italian
drunk with authority privately erases Sacred Texts with
a child's thick pencil, pardons his large fines for overdue books,
cancels the Vatican subscription to Mystery Magazine.
The pope in Italian
questions Michelangelo 'of hammers, of stone and nakedness,
the heart of the matter, ' whistles when the Artist answers,
and looks away, fingers crossed.
The pope in Italian
wears a black beret, feels his tragedy,
'another fig in hand, ' refills his goblet,
calls for a clean ashtray, another pack of Gauloises.*
The pope in Italian
feeling frisky, ice skates, holds high
his brocaded robes revealing the boyish legs, white,
they are so white, like necks of swans.
The pope in Italian
dreams again he is a young
bomber pilot dropping heavy kisses
backed up in the bomb-bay.
The pope in Italian
hides sullen behind the Golden Chair, carves his
initials there, the fateful date in Roman numerals, and
QUID EST QUOD OMNES PEGGY LEE (Is that all there is, Peggy Lee?) .
The pope in Italian
refusing all sherry before lunch, will not walk past the tapestries,
'The unicorns hate me, ' he whispers, suspicious, bitterly so,
reminds himself, 'Stop trying so hard.'
The pope in Italian
tries too hard, resets the Grandfather Clock of Ages, counts
the coins of childhood, forgets time, the ancient schemes, and dines
outside disguised as Saint Joan of Arc in Flames.
The pope in Italian
stands very still, Romanesque in Night's central fountain,
goes unnoticed but for the corners of his mouth
bleeding verdigris, and the faint smell of smoke.
The pope in Italian
practices his hands in the dark, genuflecting, blessing,
rehearses the pertinent Charlie Chaplin scene alone, the worn
piano roll in his head unraveling before the hastily scattered Host.
The pope in Italian
spies the 'end run, ' tries his hand at cards and whiskey,
bets the entire assembled Holy Guard in full dress 'all the
Church's gold and then some' on a run of Jacks.
The pope in Italian
turns the last page in the Papal Chapel, licks chapped, broken lips too long
at prayer, the votives sputtered at long last, feels his way out backwards,
steps upon the last crack and the Madonna's back is finally broken.
**Famous French unfiltered cigarettes known for their strong tobacco flavor.
***Venus of Eryx', from Sicily, brought to Rome, she embodies 'impure' love, and is the patron goddess of prostitutes
poem by Warren Falcon
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
The pope and a peasant know more between them than the pope alone.
The pope and a peasant know more than the pope together.
He who has the Pope for a cousin soon becomes a Cardinal.
Three are powerful: the Pope, the king, and the man who has nothing.
Commanders Of The Faithful
The Pope he is a happy man,
His Palace is the Vatican,
And there he sits and drains his can:
The Pope he is a happy man.
I often say when I'm at home,
I'd like to be the Pope of Rome.
And then there's Sultan Saladin,
That Turkish Soldan full of sin;
He has a hundred wives at least,
By which his pleasure is increased:
I've often wished, I hope no sin,
That I were Sultan Saladin.
But no, the Pope no wife may choose,
And so I would not wear his shoes;
No wine may drink the proud Paynim,
And so I'd rather not be him:
My wife, my wine, I love, I hope,
And would be neither Turk nor Pope.
poem by William Makepeace Thackeray
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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We were raised in an Italian-American household, although we didn't speak Italian in the house. We were very proud of being Italian, and had Italian music, ate Italian food.
quote by Francis Ford Coppola
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Italian Pride
pride… Italian pride is on my mind Italian pride is in my kind so step aside and let me through because its all about the Italian crew. Italian love is all around my fellow Italian people will never let me down so show your pride and show its true so show your pride and show its true because Italian blood follows through out you united we stand divide we fall you can shoot one Italian but you cant shoot us all we are Italian we are full of class mess with us we will kick your ass be true loud and proud to be Italian.
poem by Stephanie Testalamuta
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It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope.
quote by Pope John XXIII
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Once Pope Under Jevais Resolvd To Adventure
Once Pope under Jevais resolvd to adventure
& from a Good Poet Pope turnd an ill painter
So from a Good Painter Charles Jervais we hope
May turn an ill Poet by living with Pope
Then Each may perform the true parts of a friend
While each will have something to blame or commend
poem by Thomas Parnell
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Not Topless In The Vatican
Not topless in the Vatican,
a woman tried
to topple Benedict. You can
my words deride
because I was misreading “topples”
to signify
the revelation of her nipples.
You wonder why?
If such mistakes make you annoyed,
please do not whip
this poet, for it’s Sigmund Freud
who caused the slip.
Among the Pope’s fine homilies,
“Be vigilant”
applies to such anomalies.
Be diligent!
Rachel Donadio (NYT, December 25,2009) reports how a woman caused Pope Benedict XVI to topple after jumping the barriers of St. Peter’s on Christmas Eve. The headline of her article is “Woman Topples Pope at Mass, But He Isn’t Hurt”) . I misread the headline as saying “Topless Woman at Mass”. Intrigued by my error I asked Linda to glance at the headline, and she made the same slip. WE both made the same Christmas midrash.
ROME — Pope Benedict XVI delivered his traditional Christmas blessing on Friday after an “unbalanced woman” jumped the barriers in St. Peter’s Basilica and knocked him down as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday. The pope quickly got back on his feet after the incident and celebrated Mass before thousands of the faithful, urging them in his homily to become “truly vigilant people.” Television images showed a woman in red leap toward Benedict,82, as he began to walk up the central aisle, as the police and bodyguards scrambled to his aid. The woman also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, said a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. Cardinal Etchegaray,87, fractured his hip and will be operated on at Gemelli hospital in Rome, Father Lombardi said Friday, according to The Associated Press. Father Lombardi identified the woman as Susanna Maiolo,25, a Swiss-Italian national with psychiatric problems, The Associated Press reported. He said Ms. Maiolo, who was not armed, was taken to a clinic for necessary treatment. She was the same woman involved in a similar incident at last year’s Midnight Mass, Vatican officials said.
12/25/09
poem by Gershon Hepner
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I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.
quote by Martin Luther
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Tribute to The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI
Message: “But, let there be one flock and one Shepherd.”
The world has got a Pope anew!
His name is Joseph Ratzinger;
On April, twenty-fourth, Sunday,
He’s duly installed as the Pope,
Successor to Pope John Paul II.
A German cardinal old-aged,
A Theologian ’yond compare;
A man of wisdom, silver-haired,
A conservative of the Church,
He said Inaugural Mass that day.
St. Peter’s Square was thronged by crowds
Of people of all ages, sex-
That numbered five lakhs from countries,
To witness his Investiture:
A life-time’s rare phenomenon!
Yes, Heads of States and religious;
The clerics and the laity too;
Representatives from many lands;
Some curious tourists and Faithful,
Dignitaries and pilgrims too,
Had jubilantly gathered here.
And Benedict, the XVI stood,
All dressed in cassock of pure white;
With face akin a beaming sun,
He blessed the flock that vouched support,
Became their new Shepherd of love!
A Pallium of finest wool,
With five red crosses and three nails
Just like the wounds of Jesus Lord;
A ring with St.Peter, as fisherman-
A Mitre and a Staff- he got!
Oh, what a glorious sight indeed!
All flower-decked and incensed air;
Heavenly scene on earth for once;
The sheep in finest attire-
They came to greet the new Shepherd!
The Pope then said a Latin mass-
A language of the Vatican;
With Gospels in Latin and Greek;
Pope’s homily that took an hour!
The patient crowds turned ecstatic!
Pope’s Homily in Italian:
Assuming an enormous task, he said,
“I’ll do the Will of God and not my own;
I ask for prayers from you, one and all;
I reach out to believers and to Jews,
And non-believers- ‘Listen to God’s word’;
The Lord will guide me from now on;
I’m but a weak servant of God;
My special greetings to all who will share
This great spiritual heritage.
But, let there be one flock and one Shepherd.”
The Mass went on to Holy Communion;
The priests went to the pilgrims to give it;
Applauses loud interrupted his speech;
The crowds waved flags to the new Pope
As he traveled amidst them in a jeep!
The luckier ones had a glimpse of the Pope;
The others took his photographs;
Some viewed him through binoculars;
The billion Catholics watched him by TV;
The Pope then blessed the pilgrims and his flock.
Some viewed him rather too skeptically,
Afraid of his orthodoxy dogmas;
The earlier Pope had not answered
Some modern problems that world faced;
How will he deal with Abortion,
Gay- marriages and Condom use,
Women as priests, homosexuality?
But time will tell whether this Pope
Will change the world, better the Church;
Some things can ne’er be compromised;
The Shepherd loves his flock, no doubt;
The flock must heed his word-’Follow’.
The Shepherd searches for lost sheep;
With him as guide, ‘Don’t be afraid.’
poem by John Celes
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While we are the Pope we'll pontificate; who knows if we'll be Pope another time.
If someone had told me I would be Pope one day, I would have studied harder.
quote by Pope John Paul I
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I wouldn't take the Pope too seriously. He's a Pole first, a pope second, and maybe a Christian third.
quote by Muriel Spark
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Just Wanted to Get Your Opinion
What do you think about the Pope?
And the...
Influence of the church,
These
Days...?
HEY! ?
I just wanted to get your opinion.
I did not mean to chase you away.
Oh well.
Geeessshhh...
Is it 'that' bad?
I heard about the exorcisms.
But my goodness!
Impeaching a Pope?
What is going on inside that place?
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Pope And Tiger Woods
The Pope dies on the very day
that Tiger Woods is whisked away,
their souls rise to the distant skies
where they soon meet with a surprise.
Administrative bungling can
affect in many ways a man,
the Pope (with nothing to repent)
was quickly to the Devil sent.
While Tiger passed the Pearly Gate
where he soon found a golfing mate.
The error was discovered though
St. Peter sent a note below
and told the Devil to release
the Holy Man, and promptly please.
The Devil liked the gentle tone
and put down his red Nokia phone,
next day the Pope was sent to Heaven
at fifteen minutes to eleven.
He met, halfway that Tiger bloke
who looked dejected, sad and broke
he said dear Sir, I'm truly sad
that clerk, he must have been quite mad,
I do belong of course in Hell
and you in Heaven, Sir, be well.
The Pope said son I am excited
and glad this mix-up now is righted,
and Virgin Mary....I can't wait!
Said Tiger, sorry one day late.
poem by Herbert Nehrlich
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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