I was huge in Venice.
They packed the concert hall and waited
until my intermissions to use the bathroom.
They slipped my songs into the Vespers!
Now, three centuries later, everyone
wants Handel’s Messiah and Pachelbel
accompanies a billion brides. But no one says
I’m “opening tonight,” plays
some of Totila at their wedding. Venice
loved Totila! Merchants gave me free fruit
and said they wept! I was huge –
I’m not bitter, just
not fond of history
and have no one to blame
for poor documentation.
Scott Fynboe is a former nursing home activities director, volunteer firefighter, and radio DJ in upstate New York. He received his PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern Mississippi. He currently lives and teaches on Florida’s Treasure Coast.