Serenissima
John Claiborne Isbell
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The city’s dreaming now, and the canals
move only with the shifting wind and tide.
Along the lanes of Venice, the boutiques
are shuttered as their patrons sleep. The square
that holds St Mark’s with its domes and mosaics
is void of tourists, though the starlings soar
around the campanile, where the gulls
the Adriatic brings inflect the air.
The pigeons throng below. My wife’s asleep
above me in this fine palazzo where
the stairs are marble and the Grand Canal
is our front door. A heron crosses it.
Traffic is constant. In the sky, the light
reduces me to peace. There is some cloud.
The starlings circle overhead, and at
my feet, the water dips, and purls, and ripples.
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Fliss: Welcome, John, and well met again! Thanks for returning for this, our November issue.​
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John: Well met, Fliss and Word-Bird! You are most welcome for our return and we for our part thank you for the invitation!
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F: Hooray! So here we are in Venice, Serenissima, having driven here in the WM camper van from Canterbury, our location last month. Do you remember when you and Rita visited this most serene location, John?
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J: I do remember when Rita and I last visited, since it was our honeymoon! 2015 was the year, and that is also when this poem was written. Here we are indeed in Venice, or La Serenissima, as it was known! The camper van has proven most handy.
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F: Well, congratulations on your and Rita’s honeymoon, John! How lovely, a trip to Venice. Yes, it’s good to have our camper van, which, somehow, W.-B. is driving! The square sounds very grand, and perhaps we’ll park up there. Is it a well-known feature of the city?
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J: The square is a splendid place to park a camper van, being on the large side. W.-B. is a dab hand at the wheel! Though in Venice, one must watch out for the canals at every turn. The square is indeed a well-known feature of the city, containing both the cathedral and the Doge’s palace. Thank you for the congratulations! We visited various places, Venice among them.
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F: It all sounds very grand, John. W.-B. is steering carefully through the square, it seems. We love the description, the domes and mosaics, and also the starlings, gulls, and pigeons too! We’ve noticed that birds often make an appearance in your poems. Are you aware of looking out for them particularly, or do they form part of any scene overall?
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J: Birds do often appear in my poems, perhaps because these are urban poems, and birds mark the cityscape as one admires the architecture. I am also fond of birds and remain in awe of the mystery of flight. W.-B. is most wise to steer carefully through the square; at normal hours, it is full of tourists! And there are pigeons in great flocks.
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W.-B.: Woo-hoo! [parks up]
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F: Yes, you like the pigeons, don’t you, wise W.-B.? Flying is pretty awesome. And birds are quite extraordinary beings! So, here’s the square, and we suppose the palazzo isn’t too far off? I must admit, W.-B. and I are completely clueless about the layout of Venice, but we’re beginning to get our bearings!
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W.-B.: Yes indeedy; we are glad John is here as a guide.
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J: Well, I am happy to help! The Doge‘s palazzo is indeed right here, just next to the cathedral. St Mark‘s Square is the heart of Venice, just by where the Grand Canal meets the lagoon, as I recall.
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F: It’s quite a palace, and indeed quite a place altogether. Naturally we’re happy to see a heron here too! And the movement of the starlings towards the close is very well observed. Let’s talk meter now! This is pent, we think?
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J: Yes, the Doge’s palazzo is impressive! It also houses the original Bridge of Sighs. The heron was flying low over the Grand Canal, and the starlings were a delight. As for meter, yes, it is indeed pentameter, and unrhymed – blank verse, if you will.
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F: Yes, that’s the term. I think the heron adds a lot to the overall scene. They’re rather majestic birds; we have one in the local park who is also rather noisy at times! Well, thanks for sharing this poem, John, and we look forward to our next trip in the WM camper van.
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J: You are most welcome for the poem. I am sure the camper van has many treats and surprises in store! Yes, the heron is quite picturesque! And somewhat unexpected in an urban setting. This one flew quietly by.
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W.-B.: Perhaps, if he flies back, he might like a trip in the camper van too!
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J: Of course, W.-B.! Who would not?!
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John Claiborne Isbell is a writer and now-retired professor currently residing in France with his wife Margarita. Their son Aibek lives in California with his wife Stephanie. John’s first book of poetry was Allegro (2018); he also publishes literary criticism, for instance An Outline of Romanticism in the West (2022) and Women Writers in the Romantic Age (April 2025), both available free online. John spent 35 years playing Ultimate Frisbee and finds it difficult not to dive for catches any more!
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Pic credit:​​
The Entrance to the Grand Canal, Venice, by Canaletto (via Wikipedia)
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