Feathers brush the cooling stone
Watching Piazza Navona alone
Fountains sleep without a sound
Bernini's saints keep frozen ground
Cobblestone dawn breaks slow and gold
Stories of the night unfold
No espresso steam no scooter's roar
Just wings above the ancient floor
Laundry flaps on lines strung high
Drying in the pale grey sky
Shutters closed on Via Dei
Waiting for the morning cry
Talons grip the leaded glass
Watching shadows briefly pass
A stray cat slinks past the church
No confession left to search
Cobblestone dawn breaks slow and gold
Stories of the night unfold
No espresso steam no scooter's roar
Just wings above the ancient floor
Dawn arrives on borrowed wings
Tiber wakes and softly sings
Two voices braid in counterpoint
Day breaks on this hallowed ground
Tables set for breakfast crowd
Chairs lined neat on stones worn down
Baker pulls the wooden shade
Scent of rosemary cascades
Cobblestone dawn breaks slow and gold
Stories of the night unfold
No espresso steam no scooter's roar
Just wings above the ancient floor
Feathers brush the cooling stone
Owl takes flight to find its home