The songs of my youth are with me still.  Golden arias forever lost in
the echoes of time.  They fill my heart with unforgettable memories,
sometimes happy, sometimes sad.  Listen and you will hear...

The soft whir of a brightly colored hummingbird's wings
        The murmuring leaves of a medlar tree in a high wind
The angry roar of a stormy sea
        Nonna's fervent prayer to St. John the Baptist, as the fury of the
tempest reaches a high crescendo
        A mother's sorrowful wail at her son's funeral
The family children reciting a Novena in lyric, unsure voices
        The languid chant of the evening Rosary
The majesty of the Gregorian Mass at Santa Rosalia
        A churchbells' plaintive ring, thin and far away
The sing song dialect of vendors, hawking their wares in the market place
        Enchanted hours of play in the Greek Temple at Segesta
The laughter and whispers of passionate vows between young  lovers
    The clip of a peasant's sharp curved knife, as it cuts away a  bunch of
ripe grapes from the vine
    The squish of grapes crushed under heavy boots, and the gurgle of golden
liquid as it pours into wooden casks
    A rooster's crow at dawn, heralding a new day
The soft chirps of newly hatched yellow chicks
    The pitiful bleating of a lamb as it's being slaughtered
The tinkle of bells signaling the goatherder's arrival with warm foamy milk
for the morning coffee
    The melodious sound of mandolins at weddings and Feast Days
The merry rhythm of an accordion playing the Tarantella
    The nostalgic folk songs sung at family gatherings
A farmer, in his vineyard, singing an aria from Cavalleria Rusticana
    The lusty songs of fishermen as they haul in their nets
The lonely bray of a donkey echoing through the still night air
      The rattle of cartwheels on the stony road to my grandparents farm
The loud hum of bees gathering honey on a hot, sleepy summer day
     A brook, sparkling in the sun, racing its way to the gulf of
Castellammare
The sharp clip-clop of a mule's hooves on cobblestones
    The sweet voice of Sister Caterina as she recites the day's school lesson
The animated stories old Don Nunzio told about his adventures at sea

        These are my memories of Sicily...the songs of my youth.

          

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