Bridges of Locked Love - Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Venice is home to hundreds of islands
Linked by numerous bridges.
Rialto Bridge; Bridge of Sighs; Academy ; and
The Devil’s Bridge all have stories to tell.
Brides and Bridegrooms come from far and wide
China, Japan or Korea;
They exchange rings and take selfies at their favourite bridge.
Lovers descend from all corners of the globe,
Pour their love and vows into a padlock,
They hang the locks on the bridge and throw the key into the river
So their love will remain locked together forever.
The bridges hang low under the weight of locked love.
But the one I recall more clearly is the Bridge of Sighs:
It links Doge’s Palace and the New Prison on Piazza San Marco.
The wealthy stand on the bridge and sigh with satisfaction
The victims of wealth stand on the bridge and sigh with sorrow.

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Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (born 1938) Kenya
Source:Scroll .in