Fontana Sulle Piazza

Fontana Sulle Piazza
(Fountain in a square)


At the edge of Piazza di Campo dei Fiori there was
a fruit stall in august 1961, perhaps it is still there.
I bought a banana and a couple of tomatoes and sat
by the cooling sound of the late renaissance spring
eating the fruit, which where I came from was only
available at Christmas. Formed as a soup terrine
the fountain had plenty of water and I made mental
note that if the evening was too hot I could go have
a dip there when the piazza was empty of people; as
for now a naked man who isn’t a statue would cause
some disquiet. I carried the tomatoes in a paper bag
the rest the day and most of the night, forgot them at
Fonte del Tritone at the Piazza Barberini 1637 (where
I cooled off in its water, but modestly fully dressed)
A triton supported by dolphins symbolizing harmony
and proclaiming Barberinis’s fame, but yet again old
Bernini had constructed the fountain.