Rome 7 Hills Page 36

Treacherous compasses
A woman laughs in the narrow street while a man on a red Vespa comes round the corner by the hotel. A young man in a vest stares off to one side, his face full of something. A barefoot man sits on the cobbles with his bags. On the wall, a handwritten poem in Roman dialect says that cruel compasses have thrown his joy off course, and that he fights to keep his soul safe.

*Translated from Romanesco: “Treacherous compasses throw my joy off course, they steer me towards a grim future… I do my best to stay on the straight path, and I fight to keep my soul safe!”