Unwashed
dip into pockets hugging fat
thighs on tourist boats, snatch
loose locks on shop gates
— thief
Warmed
hold the blowpipe to shape liquid
fire, manipulating elements, a key
from Murano lights transformation
—glassblower
Smoothed
from Conakry to Douala hold up packs
of pirated Guccis following through
dusty alleys to Piazza San Marco
— bag vendor
Calloused
slide palms down the oar to push
off from docks into busy canals,
old-aged lovebirds in tow
—gondolier
Soft
arrange mass-produced ornaments
in the window again this morning;
wrap one in wax paper, English
—shop owner
Steady
set plates of pasta on narrow tables,
bringing more olives for a brighter
tip, this is Italian food my friends
—waiter
Fingernail-painted
pick and choose, seek your spouse
for a second opinion, the right piece
to carry home, credit card critical
—tourist
Pocketed
at the top of the food chain, consumes
even church and canal — if a bargain;
cut soil, come modern commodes
—tourist #2
Buried
of the Veneti, unknown. More than
Pound, Mušič, Nono. Beyond San
Michele. In the sea. Lost. Scarred
—forgotten
Timothy B. Dodd is from Mink Shoals, WV. His poetry has appeared in The Roanoke Review, Stonecoast Review, Ellipsis, Broad River Review, and elsewhere. He is currently in the MFA program at the University of Texas El Paso.