rome/florence vs. america

life in italy is much different from ours
it's a 100 euros for the birth of a child
they have ruins and coliseums
and people look out the window on the train instead of talking on cell phones 
and they hold my child on the street
they come up to dylan, "Bambina"
and give her chocolate and oranges
and tap their hands on the table in front of her
and she smiles, and she laughs,
and we stay at beautiful hotels
and the sidewalks are packed with tourists
we can't get the stroller by
and we take dylan to everything
and she loves the florence museums and
the special pizza from tuscany and the owner giving me
parental advice and the jewish ghetto....
and why does all the jewish stuff have to be so depressing??
and we cross the bridge and the view is breath taking
and I wonder what one does for work here
and I watch sky news and back to the future 2 with arabic subtitles
and we smoke cigarettes and drink lots of red wine for we don't know
how much time we have to dylan freaks out,
but my insecurities about her behavior are overstated....
because everybody loves her and gives her so much attention,
and now we are home,
and we watch the kardashians fight with bruce,
and brooklyn sundays with friends,
and i think about rome and spain (grenada) and europe and living there,
and I realize that this is my home
and this is my country
and without this country I would not have what I have....
a passion, a love, a child, a community, a new life.....

dz