What Rome Made Me Realize

What+Rome+Made+Me+Realize

Keana Saberi '22

 

The feeling of bliss absorbed through every fiber of my being

The cobbled streets interwoven with centuries of stories

The air thick with sweet late-spring rain that clings to every pedestrian holding their multicolored umbrellas

The streets are full of people attempting to escape the downpour of rain

I take it all in, the sights encompass me, the sounds enrapture me

The chill of the water cools my skin, I feel every sense in my body perform a jovial dance

The rush of taxi cabs zooming past

The melodic pattern the rain creates as it drenches my coat becomes engrained in my mind

The Italian language creating a cocoon around me

The words so decadent as if every line of speech was a declaration of love

The old yet glorious buildings have bore witness to the events playing  out in the magnificent city even as change shifts rapidly

Watching as the new began to bleed into the daily life

The balance between history and the present a symphonic blend

I had read of this great city, a glorified reputation precedes it

But when you enter into its ancient heart

You find it’s more than meets the eye, depicted by film and stereotypical tales

Excavating the faded pastel corridor streets

Delving into the “art of doing nothing” while sticky hazelnut gelato drips on your hands

Devouring meals that genuinely please the soul

Skipping tourist attractions for a coffee date with yourself and a book

Learning about life and the enjoyment of fleeting moments

Learning that these fragments of time

These simplistic pleasures

Allow you to find a fresh perspective

And give you time to be

Everything and anything which gives fuel to your heart

Brings authenticity to your words

And bequeaths you your version of happiness