My daughter makes
the best bruschetta
and caffè latte
this side of the Atlantic.
That’s because
she loves Italy,
especially Italian food
(as well as Italian men).
But it’s the oil of uliva
(the Italian olive)
that she pours over
the pomodori, the tomatoes,
which makes the difference.
The oil of the olive
drizzled over the semolina bread
covered with garden-fresh pomodori,
ah, that’s the taste that transports
to the sun-drenched south—
Napoli, Calabria, Bari, Sicilia—
home of the true nectar of the ancients,
the lifeblood of the Mediterranean,
flowing in the veins of all the people
who sing of simple splendors,
of vineyards and tomato plants and
olive trees all offering branches
to victors and peacemakers.
Uliva, truly Il Frutto della Pace!
—Stanley H. Barkan
