Firenze is an admittedly gorgeous place,
but it is not all and everywhere so.
There are also scenes like this:
dingy, soot-stained, uninspired apartment houses
that rise around, and in surprisingly
abundant pockets throughout the city.
Graffiti is everywhere.
As are dog-leavings.
Regarding the latter, no one here
is ever seen 'picking up.'
That can be counted either
as being downright disrespectful,
or as evidence of personal integrity,
depending on whether you
are the step-ee or the let-it-lay-er.
I acknowledge my own aversion to
picking up the feces of any creature,
however beloved that creature may be.
Not my thing, and thus
I've forgone the pleasures
(and I know there are many)
of having a dog.
But there are a lot of dogs here
and, that means a lot of dog owners,
all of whom seemingly just don't give a damn.
So you look down,
in order to be careful,
in between looking up,
in order to be mesmerized.
And, for the most part Firenze
is so utterly bellisima that you
keep looking up, and
are content to simply take your chances.