Olive groves, yellow-furred almonds,

row upon row of ripening grapes.

Maize dust-pale for harvest,

head-drooping sunflower schools,

stubble lands waiting for ploughs

or winter bareness.

Ochre red, yellow terracotta roofed

historical villages climbing

steep-sided Tuscany hills,

patiently patrolled by Italian cypress.

Below, late summer

hardiness hints of Africa,

above, high blue whispers dust

on far horizons.

Burnt sienna afternoon air,

lizards flick at visions edge,

butterflies explode colour bombs,

while cicadas enthusiastically file

dry, dry tunes on string instruments.

Chianni, Tuscanny, 2016