Fontana Del Nettuno

Fontana Del Nettuno
The fountain of Neptune


At the northern end of the Plaza Navona, Neptune
is fighting an octopus, his white sea-horse has flaring
nostrils and is ready to jump onto the plaza, this
muscular drama is unnoticed by the boy who has
jumped into the spring to pick up something floating
there, his mother calls him back he has a new shirt on,
like a boy should worry about that.

I met Neptune once on a winter beach in the Algarve,
waist deep in water he stood, old and cold while
mermaids sat on stones knitting him a pullover made
of seaweed and since he was hard of hearing made,
fun of his enormous belly.

The plaza is full of local people, this Sunday afternoon
a warm July afternoon 1961; ancestors of Antonio Della
Bitta and Gregorio Zappalà who made the sculptures
way back in 1590.