https://youtu.be/efgJPr5NF7M.EN RUDOLPH VALENTINO starring WARDAL

The foundation of this story is Valentino’s real story.

Plot: Wardal, a charming star of about 50 years old, is in his dressing room waiting to personify Rudolph Valentino. Wardal has some problems with the script because the production requests sensational revelations more than artistic content.

Suddenly Valentino appears. Valentino has been a part of Wardal’s life since his mother is a friend of one of Valentino’s relatives, Mrs. Lelletta Greco, and she told him about Valentino throughout his childhood.

During the meeting between Wardal and Valentino, something prodigious happens. 

—————————-WARDAL-RUDOLPH VALENTINO: The text of the script.

Wardal: Yes, come in. I can’t wait. Oh, what a splendor of a man!  I understand now how no one can resist you!  You smile, yes, you see in my eyes, everywhere in me, my surprise, my admiration, my delight in seeing you, your priceless appearance ..

Well … you didn’t bring Lelletta with you? Lelletta  Greco, your relative, who held you in her arms when you were a child and introduced you to me! I mean….You know Mrs. Lelletta was a close friend of my beautiful mother. When I was in Taranto, close to your home town, my mother told me about you every day! No, it was not boring at all!  

So , you are like part of my family, no, much more, you are part of my childhood, you are the legend I grew up with, and now, that my life is almost close to a “sunrise,” oh sorry, “sunset” I mean, I discover that I have many things in common with you. No, not only hair color, but the spirit of adventure, the desire to cross the  ocean …. the love of dressing well, being naturally always the center of attention, attractive….and we both used this weapon, yes, in many different ways, but both for fun …. Right?

But I’m a romantic, you weren’t.  Am I pragmatic?  No, Rudy, just sometimes … when I was your age, young like you, … Maybe, like me, you would have become a romantic, but life has not given you the  time ….so sad. But you are a romantic, come on!——————  

(The stage manager knocks on the door) 

Oh, how boring! I have given orders to ignore me to let me be at peace to focus … to get into my role before acting.

(Answers) Yes, all right.  I know everything. That I have 10 minutes, ok.  / No, there is no one here.  Who?  The producer in my dressing room?  (to himself and Rudy: “oh, there’s much more than a producer in my dressing room!”) Where? Shut up!

The producer is in love with the Prima Donna, not with me.  (to himself and Rudy: “not yet he is in love with me….) So don’t try to enter and don’t knock anymore on the door!  If “ Prima Donna “ is looking for the producer, she  is not allowed to spy on me through you.

Yes!  She  always has the habit of inventing roles, rumors and stories, to give herself  importance! Old fashioned stories! Last century stories! Silent cinema stories! Ridiculous!  Of course we recite Rudolph Valentino …. but she exaggerates! I already have my role to play and I can’t play multiple roles and multiple scripts at the same time, as she does. She wants to make the producer jealous and the producer wants to make her jealous.  I don’t want to be in the middle of this game, so go away! And tell to this “primadonna” that I will not change any word of the script to make it more sensational instead of a manifestation of art, as I want! I respect Valentino’s privacy! And now “Va fan culo!!!” (Italian: “go to hell”)

—————————————-Oh, finally.  He seems be gone. So sorry for all of that! I guess you were forced to play three or four roles and scripts at the same time too…having various affairs at the same time, with prima donnas, actresses, starlets … un vrai carrousel et l’amour? Moi, quand j’ai perdu l’amour, j’ai compris l’amour. Positif, oui? ( From French: a real carousel! And love?  Me, when I lost love, I understood love.  Positive, yes? )  

Mastroianni, maybe he tried to imitate you, in his life.  Oh, of course you didn’t meet Mastroianni: he was two when you left the world.  Yes, in 1966 Mastroianni played you in Hello, Rudy, a very successful musical. Me? No, I didn’t.  I was not born yet at that time, as a star, I mean yes, of course, your life has never been represented as it really was, not even in the movie about you in 1951? Where Anthony Dexter looks like a perfect clone of you? (laughs) Me? You? Well, Fellini was thinking about it, but the idea didn’t work.

You and I are similar inside, even though not in appearance, although we both have strongly Mediterranean features, having been born in the same ancient land.  Yes, Fellini’s idea did not work, because his imagination does not match your frame.  Fellini did well to shoot Casanova, a legendary Latin Lover, but who didn’t belong to cinema like you.

 To Fellini, on the other hand, I gave your script. He was surprised. You too? So, now you know how crazy I am. Fellini would never have thought that you were a little esoteric, as he liked, and scientific, a philosopher …. Yes, that script….the only one you wrote, I guess.  My mother gave it to me.  She received it from Lelletta of course with your camera that has become my mascot and is now shooting us …. Oh, don’t worry, you are always so handsome, in the right light, perfect scenery, in my dressing room, you are in my hands……Do you want more? ( Reading ) You wrote… “Before women played me, I played them.  A contagious game.” I knew my destiny.

“Do you mean that you were sure to become a star?  The first movie star.” Here, your answer: “I was convinced.  I didn’t think for a moment before leaving.  I’ve always played the part of the star.”

“Sure, till death and perhaps including your death and beyond, as now! (laughs). The contagious game, from one game to another and everything always perfectly played! That’s why I can’t reveal anything about you, since what is known about you is what you have made us believe about yourself, and what has become your actual life! (laughs)   ——————————

My life?  Oh, don’t care. Yes, no one knows my real life and will never know it, but, in my dramas and scripts I tell about it, a little bit , between the lines…..  Yes, moving simply from a scene to another. ——————————By the way , now it is time for me to start preparing to personify you. No. nothing big, just a cameo: a few lines, all standard, nothing creative, nothing new.  
 Oh, I accepted the role for money, that I already have in my pocket ….no, I don’t have sufficient time to betray your secrets ….don’t worry….You are in the perfect hands. 

However, it would be nice if in my place, you go out on stage to personify yourself, tonight, in a few minutes!  Why not?!
Or, I can announce, “Gentlemen, tonight I will not play Valentino, because he, Rudy, himself, will do it.” Better for me. I don’t know my few lines yet! Indeed, now I would like the camera to change framing and take you back, your beauty, your charisma, your irresistible charm …. as you will appear on the stage…But I see, your camera is no longer able to take you back, to contain you, since now your light, your power is blinding. You now are perfectly ready to go on the stage!

.. (still knocking on the door) “Five minutes“!  Here are the five minutes.  So, Rudy, the stage of the world is waiting for you again! Of course, no one will believe that you are the real Rudy, returning on the scene after almost a century!  (laughs).  On the other hand, I am sure that everyone will be convinced that it is you, the true and only Rudy, since no man, no movie star has never had your charm. I am reading by your smile that Valentino would never reappear on the stage even if this miracle were possible. Right?

(there is a knock on the door) Ok, two minutes. What will I do on stage without you?  I’m going to cry!  Since I will not be able to open my mouth because of my awe and nervousness it will follow me there, on the set.  The director organized the scene of Valentino’s appearance, can you hear the audience shouting?

Come on, transgress yourself, let me corrupt you, take back your beautiful body and come with me, on the stage.

You see, down there, those big spotlights are all on and they are blinding; artificial smoke is invading the scene, an ocean of ​​extras and a crowd of journalists are waiting …No? Ok. I have another idea and everyone will think it’s an artistic invention ..  No one will see my face, since I will cover it with the lens of your camera and I will point it towards the audience as if your eyes were seeing, as if you are living the scene , as if you are present there. Then, I will leave everyone suddenly and I will return here, I will give you back your camera and we will separate from each other as in a dream. We will both dissolve, as happens usually in the finale of a movie.

Everyone will run here, out of irrepressible curiosity, but they won’t find anyone. I’ll leave the light on to give the illusion of a presence.  (Pause) You smile at me again, it means that you like my direction, I see. Then, my beloved Rudy, we are ready to fly!  ….Action! (dark ) 

(The stage manager knocks insistently on the door. )                                                      THE END

Death not being something to fear

Death?
What the hell am i doing on earth?
Life designs the cloth of fear

which is difficult to wear

Why?
There is a lurking uncertainty

Its design is a  threatening peculiarity
So,
In death, i glory in peace

as my sleeping body is laid to Mother Earth with ease
The cloth of peace i wear

Therefore, i would say, ‘death is not a being to fear’

On The Ground of Death

I fell on the ground of death

as I felt guilt, shame, and humiliation

for being hopeless to ask for a slight assistance.

I missed my legs like a tree forfeited

its roots and branches in autumn

I saw my weight gain, stretch marks

but I found the legs of a soldier

They were seeping as I was sobbing

I erased my memories a few years ago

my reflections began to communicate louder,

since they were always an unspoken

My tongue was no longer a treasure

I wanted him to say my visions to stop weeping

I wanted him to notify my parts to stop bleeding

But he was muted, through every measure.

Montreal’s Moon

I saw Montreal’s moon in the eyes of Noemi,

Since then, I am a poet not broken

but fully spoken about devotion verses,

and emotional tales that brought tears

for three hundred sixty-five days.

Montreal blues hide when I am trying to find your shadow

The smile on my face was birthed after we passionately kissed

Hold my hands and take me away from the sorrows

I’m inhaling This world has turned me into a warrior

ashes of centuries ago

When I learned that I must love you

without any boundaries

Being friendly and helpful is not a struggle for a wounded man

The flowers that bloom from the first night we made affection

my body became numb

after I touched the sunshine in your heart

Love is not a tournament

that lasts for a few hours before bed

Your love is the soul that grows in your feelings

whenever I miss having you around my arms,

all the sad songs have a common way to describe

how much I miss being next to you by the sunsets.

Grandma’s oatmeal

Today, dear book group, we’re exploring the difference 

between cinnamon, commas, 

and a cheerleader’s ability

Pausing only if grandma needs her medicine 

With plenty of cinnamon,

you can spin a syrupy alphabet in your throat

of phrases and punctuation, new to a child

And my grandma once told me

that if you mix plenty of cinnamon in your oatmeal 

you can bend a period into a comma

with your mind, and

With plenty of commas, 

An elderly man with a surgical mask 

on his forehead, 

may make himself visible outside your window

His acne scars covered – but his infectious saliva

skating on germs until it reaches another mouth. 

It makes me revel at my own grandparents 

and the way their masks kiss and are kissed 

when – They leave to get vegan donuts. 

One moment, grandma needs her medicine. 

She tells me it’s because her mask smells 

like a cheerleader

Highschool is sticking its unwashed fingers up her nose again

Showers in body spray during class, 

the smell of shiny magazine pages and pressed flowers

having a tea party in the split ends of the cheerleaders ponytail

Too much for her to bear.

A T-shirt in the airport says – if a comma isn’t placed 

in front of grandma 

instead of after 

she might end up in our digestive system. 

With a cheerleaders ability, 

you can kick so high 

your leg gets stuck in the lumps of oatmeal 

in the sky 

or, if you aren’t heartless, grandpa says 

you should jump up and down 

until grandma finds the energy 

to crawl back out of your throat. 

                        DONNY  APPLEVIRUS
 
                        John Chapman traveled far and wide
                        planting seeds.  Apple seeds.
                        John Chapman changed the native land.
                        Planted apple trees.
 
                        This is something travelers do—
                        spread new seeds.  Plant new stock.
                        Itinerants might not stay long.
                        Their footprint does.
 
                        A virus travels free today.
                        Some get sick.  Some pass on.
                        Warnings flash from every screen
                        for all to heed.
 
                        But power struggles reign today.
                        Choose your name.  Cast your vote.
                        Donald stages circuses
                        across the land.
 
                        Crowds sit close-- no masks, just hats…
                        Shouting cheers.  Shouting jeers.
                        And when he leaves, the virus spikes.
                        More sick.  More dead.
 
                        Like Johnny Appleseed, he plants
                        virus here, virus there.
                        Seeds his base, case after case.
                        His legacy.

 
             AWOL  FROM  THE  PANDEMIC
 
             What day is it?  Who cares?  Sun’s out!
             Shut-ins are fleeing their coops,
             flocking to Lake Chabot, and the path
             that follows the shore’s lazy loops.
 
             A man in a face mask totes poles, net and pail.
             Bikers with bells swerve past guys on the trail.
 
             Homebound parents and kids need a break,
             so call this P.E.!   
             Today, school’s at the lake.
 
             All sorts of joggers, some fleet and some puffing
             work out for fitness, or shaving off stuffing.
 
             Dog walkers everywhere tug dogs on leashes.
             (We’re short-leashed too.  COVID-19’s capricious.)
 
             Picnics prohibited.  Potties are locked.
             Charcoal grills covered.  Rental boats docked.
 
             Yet families trudge up the trail 
             with their strollers.
             Hikers are young people, middles, and oldsters.
 
             Nod as they pass—no one pauses to talk.
             Everyone’s cautious when risking this walk.
 
            Shelter,  but break for essentials like these:
            striding through tunnels of green,
            sun on the water,  trees on the hills…
            Just pause panic mode—and breathe clean!
 

THE  FIRST  YEAR  OF  COVID
                 
Dec. 2019: The World Health Organization says that a
mysterious pneumonia is sickening dozens in China. 
         
Wuhan was not our problem.
We were busy—
shopping, planning, seeing friends,
going to work and coming home tired,
looking forward to the weekend…
 
Suddenly, a switch flipped.
Warning lights flashed.
Normal became dangerous—
avoid friends,
suspect strangers,
postpone family gatherings.
Lurking in ambush was an invisible killer:
COVID 19,  SARS-CoV-2,  the coronavirus.
 
Dr. Fauci tried to help:
Wash your hands.
Mask your face.
Stay home.  Stay safe.
That was March, 2020. 
 
Now it’s October, 2020.
The virus, our leader said, was just another flu.
It will disappear in April, like magic.
It didn’t.
Over 200,000 have died, and the toll rises daily.
You get it,  you get over it, he said.
Don’t let it dominate you.
Dominate?   
Is this an arm-wrestling contest?
If we act macho, will COVID slink away?
 
Have you ever played Peek-a-Boo with a baby?
Cover his eyes.  You disappear.
Uncover—Peek-a-Boo!   You’re back!
We have a leader who is telling us:
Cover your eyes.  Stop testing so much.
           
 
Then COVID cases will go down.
We will dominate.
Send kids to school
Open bars, gyms, restaurants, stores.
Ditch the masks.
Feed the economy.
Cover your eyes.
See?  Like magic, COVID disappears.
 
Peek-a-Boo!
           
But people keep on getting sick.
Not quite recovering.
Many die.  Too many.
As the world watches,
a 74 year old toddler tries to bully COVID,
rips off his mask on a balcony overlooking cameras,
plans more rallies,
phones in to Fox to blame and gloat,
strategizes that if we shut our eyes, we win.
But we lose. 
Lose jobs.  Lose shelter.  Lose lives.
           
The White House is the new Wuhan.
There’s dynamite behind every door.
Our leader is the super-spreader.
Our country is the loser.
 

A Rose

A rose has beauty
And sending it to someone
Has a message so caring.
A thank you for friendship, 
and always there
What more could one ask.
So I leave with a prayer.
And may blessings pour down
That we will share the roads of life
And remember the rose that will
Help us through strife.

                   An Autumn Pleasure


Taking a ride through mountains is a joyful relaxation never experienced before.  The mountains are majestic and the thousands of trees now show fantastic colors of their leaves -- gold, red, brown with a little green here and there.  Taking curves in the road at times takes you between mountain tops that is such picturesque beauty of fall colors.


At times like this, all concerns and worries seem to fade away and you are living in this world of nature giving us a time of happiness and thankfulness.

SURVIVAL


Life is a long fight for survival, or so it seems.


I know there are so many confusions and health issues 


and families can be part of this and cause us to feel 


real pain.


Our thoughts become a source of sadness and longing.


Yet, we keep a glimmer of hope within ourselves.


We pray, talk to friends and browse through old 


pictures.  Suddenly our thoughts turn to the future
 
and the feelings of hope and faith begin to shape 


Our mind instead of relentless depression.


The opportunities and gifts have been so many as we 


remember the joy and happiness some have brought.


So we begin to change ourselves and look forward


to sharing time and talents in special ways with 


those around me.


We finally experience peacefulness within our soul.

Hearts That Are Broken


Sadness may fill a heart with longing --


Longing for the sound of a baby's laughter


Or the sweet chirping of a bird outside your window.


Sounds of nature bring a pleasant relief to a


Heart that is feeling so alone.


One's heart is so entwined within our emotions


And we need to let the purity of nature


Fill us with a joy as we immerse ourselves in the


Gifts of nature's beauty


Then our heart will know the peace that comes


With becoming a part of nature's delight.




A Free Spirit


I watch the birds flying free in the sky 
And I think to myself I want to fly with them.


They are free to wander wherever they might,


And their freedom stirs a longing in me --


To join them in their journey and they know the way.


As I keep watching those birds in their flight,


My longing increases and my spirit joins them in


Their canopy of song filling the air with their joy.