NaPoWriMo 07

There was a shortcut, avoiding
the jammed main streets of Sorrento.

It wound down the hillside
in sharp turns, passing
gardens and small plots
strung with vines and lemon trees,
fruit ripening in September sun.

In backstreets, steel-shuttered lockups
where lemon juice and sugar
were mixed with pure alcohol
to make Limoncello,
sold from roadside booths,
cafes and bars.

It tastes good here,
and each maker’s spirit different.

Back home, the commercial stuff’s bland,
too sweet, less lemony,
and the paler sunshine makes
the setting too far from Naples,
Oh, far too far from Naples.

Colin Will
07/04/2013