A Venice Vaporetto

Flying through the cotton clouds to Marco Polo airport
And landing down to greet the hot September day
Walking to the docks where unsuspecting fish get caught
As tourists catch the ferry and pass Murano island on their way
We’re off to St Marco to meet the pigeons feeding in the square
Through the streets of designer diamonds and leather
Past the Opera house where culture lingers in the air
And the clock tower keeps chiming whatever the weather

Nearby the Giant’s staircase to the Doge’s Palace stands
Gatekeepers guarding the doorway made of marble and gold
Drawn on white cloth are the unfinished architectural plans
Protecting the Ruler’s building of centuries old
Not far away lays Peggy Guggenheim in her grave
Within the walls of her museum of sculpture and art
I saw a Pablo Picasso painting hanging proud and brave
With its rich colours of sapphire blue and blood red heart
Upon the Rialto Bridge I looked out upon the crowd
And saw romantic couples strolling along and holding hands

In the distance you can hear the buskers singing out loud
Playing classical music with their friends in a string quartet band
In front of a decorated mask shop window display
With visions of raw silk and ribbons suspended in the air
Ready for the Summer Carnivale where theatre will play
Interpretations of Shakespeare’s words of love so fair
As paper lanterns light up the way for gondola boats
Moving through the glittering water of black and apple green
Resembling a Claude Monet painting the passengers float
Their eyes widen as they soak up the surrounding scene

The next morning the sun rises burning with a constant glow
Terracotta orange with crimson pink and vanilla ice cream
Over the garden where the almond blossom trees grow
And the silent sleepers lay drifting through their dreams
As pastel chalk houses lean to greet the visiting faces
Of people who have journeyed from lands far and wide
Along the Grand Canal holding her beauty in all places
As the landscape stretches out leaving nothing to hide
Past the ancient church where Catholic Italians kneel and pray
There is an old man sitting quietly drinking his espresso
Observing strangers as life goes by to pass the time of day
Etched in my mind are the views from a Venice vaporetto.