I Have Never.....

I have never seen......
Green fields or the butter cup yellow of rape bursting into flower;
The pencil pines standing like sentinels around rustic farm houses,
Or poppies, like splashes of scarlet paint dotting the roadside,
As I have in Tuscany.

I have never heard....
Bird song. - No less at mid-day than at dawn
And the cuckoo's solitary accompaniment as the shadows lengthen,
As I have in Tuscany.

I have never marvelled at.....
The vines, like decaying headless skeletons that appear to have had
seen too many summers
But will soon be heavy with sour tasting grapes that will promise
another vintage brew.
Or the olive groves. - each tree pruned to resemble arthritic hands
with gnarled, deformed fingers pointing skywards,
As I have in Tuscany.

I have never tasted....
Mouth watering, rich tomatoes and moist cheeses,
Olives, breads and oils,
Duck and boar and pastas,
Even Minestrone soup,
As I have in Tuscany.

I have never laughed....
Been laughed with and laughed at by friends,
Who take me for what I am, warts and all
As I have in Tuscany.