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So Much Glass to So Much Steel

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So Much Glass to So Much Steel
by Nathaniel S. Rounds
Behind a clear, glass veil
Facing a snarling, spitting sea
And the dim shadow of Georges Island
I spent nine dollars
From Mother’s retirement cheque
On gelato down at the bay
Birra Moretti in a coffee cup
And for a frat boy twist
Greek fries with chopsticks
Outside this farmer’s market
A distant cousin with payot and a suit of sky-by-night
Nods his head and fedora in a courtly fashion
To the bag boy and his toil
And the train enters and do-si-dos
With kindred spirit trains
To the strain of whistles blown
For dream time

0 thoughts on “So Much Glass to So Much Steel”

  1. What a gem! i enjoyed the read!
    Loved the ending…the words are stamping themselves inside my brain:
    “And the train enters and do-si-dos
    With kindred spirit trains
    To the strain of whistles blown
    For dream time” –profound!
    Here’s a few ‘defs’ of words in poem for readers:
    Gelato
    “(Italian pronunciation: [dÊ’eˈlaːto]; plural: gelati) is the italian word for ice cream. Italians use the word gelato to mean a sweet treat that is served frozen. Gelato is made with milk, cream, various sugars, and flavoring such as fresh fruit and nut purees.”
    Birra Moretti
    “was an Italian brewing company, founded in Udine in 1859 by Luigi Moretti. In 1996 the company was acquired by Heineken International. The brewing plant in Udine was sold to the newly formed Birra Castello S.p.A.; Moretti is now a brand of Heineken. There are eight beers under the Birra Moretti brand. Birra Moretti is the main brand, a 4.6% abv pale lager launched in 1859.”
    Payot
    “(also pe’ot, peyot, payos, peyos; Hebrew: singular ,פֵּאָה ;plural
    ,פֵּאוֹ‎) is the Hebrew word for sidelocks or sidecurls. Payot are worn by some men and boys in the Orthodox Jewish community based on an interpretation of the Biblical injunction against shaving the “corners” of one’s head. Literally, pe’ah means corner, side or edge.”
    fedora
    “( /fɨˈdɔːrÉ™/) is a men’s felt hat. The term is usually generic, describing any men’s hat that does not already have another name; a few fedoras have names of their own, including the trilby.[1]
    The hat is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and “pinched” in the front on both sides,[2] though the creasing does not define the hat. Fedoras can also be creased with teardrop crowns, diamond crowns, center dents, and others, and the positioning of pinches can vary. The typical crown height is 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters).”

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