Oh, Marianna Grazia!
Oh, Marianna Grazia...
was my friendly neighbor,
a lovely lady in her eighties!
She became a widow when her
husband died of a brain tumor,
he was a sailor of many oceans;
how evident was the sadness
of Marianna Grazia!
She had a Grand Piano, made of cherry oak,
not covered with a speck of dust, and smiling
she played an improvisation with style;
and it depended on her mood! The rays of sunlight
entered diagonally and rested on it, while
her feeble fingers played the same, harmonic melody;
and her hubby liked to hear those notes enthusiastically...
that's how I remember Marianna Grazia at her best!
Oh, Marianna Grazia...
went to church every Sunday,
and passing by my gate, she always said
hello, and asked how things were going!
She gave every kid on the block candy
and flowers she grew in the back-yard;
oh, I miss how you hummed that song...
oh, Marianna Grazia!
Today I walked by her house,
the Venetian blinds were closed at noon,
I was overtaken by a sudden gloom;
her youngest daughter approached me
and mutterred very grieving words,
" My mom has passed away in a tragic way,
she slipped and fell, and hit the cement;
she passed out as blood gushed from her forehead."
Oh, Marianna Grazia...
never will I have another conversation
about her experience in Normandy,
and the stories of a nurse during World War II,
were as inspirational as her vocation!
Oh, Marianna Grazia...
look down below and wave gracefully;
life is not as everlasting as that love given by you,
oh, Marianna Grazia!
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