A young woman, with a babe in arms, sits

beneath a mosaic of the Virgin

and Child under a medieval arch and begs.

Set in the tower above them is a clock,

which plays ‘Ave, ave, ave Maria’.

The narrow space is clogged with tourists

from the cruise ships and the tour buses.

Most do not give. She might be Roma:

like the woman, begging with a toddler

near the amphitheatre, to whom we gave

but said nothing, did nothing seeing a

child of that age, though bonny enough,

play on the street. Something is wrong – such begging,

such indifference, such circumspection!

Have we all become senza anima –

without soul – or do these mothers love

their children beyond shame?