Turin Spring

Flagstones shine outside a city synagogue,
policed free of cars and bombs. Mothers

relax in the sun, their chadors or kangas
casting clean shadows
over bags of hard-earned cornucopia while

their offspring pirouette on legs
that laser-guide rag-tag footballs with
the force of artistry, the strength of grace.

Will the brio, verve and diet
of this immigrant/emigrant nation
nurture such talent against bosses and bullies,

to make Juve’s next Zidane but one,
or the new boy wizard in Torino’s colours,
home-grown and here to stay?