Hungry or not,the pleasant smell of the bread makes you longing to taste it. But the empty pockets like the worn- out shoes, remind the little boy the harsh reality. He’s poor! His mother, rich in faith, says that is not poverty.


SMELL OF BREAD

As  a child passing
by a hot bakery,
a pleasant smell of bread
gives you some languor inside
and glittering in your eyes.

Thank God,there is some bread
at home,
but that good smell
tells you:buy and eat,
and if you can’t, go straight!

The poor know
since they were new born
that God made
so many nice things for everybody
but then, not everybody has got them.

Neighbour’s child
condescendingly shows
his new shoes
and says to Francesco:
“Yours are worn-out!”

Francesco goes back home
and asks his mother:
“Are we poor, mum?”
“No, my son, you’re rich,
Like Infant Jesus!”

Translated by Marilisa Cannarsa

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