The Christmas Zoo

26 December 2013

Yes, another Christmas Day is gone.

And let's face it, this is the Day of Melancholy.

No more "All I want for Christmas is you". No more guessing the presents riddle. No more counting down the days.

We ate, we celebrated, we forgot to buy presents for all those people who gave us wonderful gifts, and bought great things for the ones who didn't even say "merry christmas".

Yesterday we had the strongest headache of our lives and cursed the noise, the chatting, the laughing, wishing for silence, peace, isolation. But we also realized that our family is great and we love everyone sooo much. And today we already miss all that chaos.

A few hours ago we wanted all of this to end as soon as possible, while now we would just like to come back to Christmas Eve, and live again that atmosphere... 

Honestly, I couldn't wish for anything better.

For once, I have to abandon my usual cynical skeptical and prickly attitude. 

Ready for another year waiting for another Christmas, with great friends by my side!

 

 

Professional Photographers

© Estate of Laura Poggi

Pretty Little Photographers

Triyng to immortalize precious moments

while adults,

as always happens,

are getting lost.

22 December 2013 

Happy Birthday Super Duper Mummy!

People Have the Power..

© Estate of Laura Poggi

What are you staring at?

Mind your own business, please.

Do You Believe in Signs?

Sunday afternoon. It's really cold in Florence, and when you breathe fog comes out of your mouth. You find yourself wandering through a crowded flea market in one of the most Florentine of Florentine squares. With a great friend to listen to and a the desire for dusty forgotten treasures.

Is all this cahos in our lives something like a giant spiderweb?

© Estate of Laura Poggi

© Estate of Laura Poggi

Then your camera winks at some older sisters abandoned on one of the flea market stalls. How many spiderwebs have they immortalized so far?

Pretty Old Cameras, do you know what should I do?

What did you see, before renouncing the living world, before leaving yourself to your own devices on a dusty stall, in a cold December night, looking at my friend and me, with my camera and all the spiderwebs of our heads!?

© Estate of Laura Poggi

You have new worlds of all kinds within reach, but you decide not to look at them.

Isn't this what I am desperately triyng to do?!

Traditions.

The thing with traditions is that they make you feel safe.

December 8 finally arrives, and suddenly your house seems Santa's home. 

Love these days.

Waiting for.

© Estate of Laura Poggi

In Italian They Call It "Sproloquio Natalizio".

December, December.... I was waiting for you.

Haven't you always been my favorite time of the year? 

Since I was a little child I have always looked for magic...looking for that unusual temporary point of view that would make it possible to have things look differently. And we know that it is in differences that one can find truth. 

In December things usually look different. People become Christmas people. Everything is brighter than ever and cities like Florence literally shine with all this Christmas lights (which every year get uglier and uglier, as if they were chosen by a poor blind bloke who then tries to put them on the city centre trees properly. As a result you have streets that seem huge shining twistings and turnings - if you did not have a headache, now you have it). In December people smile more. People find new sources of satisfaction (yes, I'm talking aout you, middle aged woman with red hair and five children screaming and trying to destroy the supermarket.Yes, you go to the supermarket, you grab the last poor chicken abandoned alone on the shelf and, looking at your enemy straight in the eyes, with a soft, sweet and Christmas voice you say "I'm sorry, I won. You can have the turkey. Or a fried egg. Or a pre-cooked pizza. Let's face it, you've been a terrible cook since high school. Maybe this is the reason why you will be alone on Christmas Day with your cat, your grandma who doesn't recognize you and your turkey. By the way, Have a nice Christmas. God bless your family"...I adore such lovely women).  Moreove, though only for a few days, someone really manages to be a little less selfish: you spend hundreds of euros for presents to all your people, then realize that all this waisting of money is totally against (your, not mine) God and all his talking about being humble ecc ecc, therefore your guilty soul needs to be saved. So you finally decide to act and prove yoursel you still have a soul somewhere and that soul knows the word "forgiveness". You decide to speak again with that friend of yours you hated since she told you you were a sad selfish isolated crazy schizophrenic young woman with hips large like the Florentine Dome. But it's Christmas, and Christmas means forgiveness. (and of course this has NOTHING to do with the fact that a friend of a friend told you that she broke up with her man and put on weight while you finally manged to lose it and look fairly fabulous. and is it your brain that goes on singing "white revenge" instead of "white Christmas"?! No way, there must be some kind of misunderstanding. You are a lovely sweet person, always was). At Christmas time you become more patient and when you find yourself stuck in traffic you start yelling at the whole human race and at the one who started all of this. you curse the creation day and start asking yourself why the hell someone smart like God one day had this bright idea of creating such an idiot race. Well, at least you are talking about God. Christmas takes you closer to God. Then one day the judging day will come and you'll have to explain all your talking and yelling.. but this is why they invented Easter... You act like a total stupid and superficial Christmas-God-hater, then you have about three months to repent your sins and ask for forgiveness. Ready for the next Christmas' hypocrisy. The genius of Catholicism.. 

Anyway, whether you are a religious person or not, in some way you change during the holidays. I mean, everyone - even the most convinced of atheists - literally adores going to church on Christmas Eve. Would you believe it?! She's here with her new boyfriend in those hideous red shoes.... Simply pathetic. A shame. And on Christmas Eve! 

Christmas is magic, I know it is. And it is also that period of the year when people really are themselves and are not afraid of showing a little more love. Christmas can be all about appearances and waisting money. But it is also something about truth. At Christmas you can see contraddictions and hypocrisy, but also the desire for happiness. You can see that need to see something good in everyone. And whether this is a religios or commercial issue, I think is something truly human and fascinating. It's true. It's powerful. It's Christmas. And it's presents. Everyone likes presents. It's love. Even for a cynical atheist like me.

Waiting for. 

From Black to Pink and Back.

© Estate of Laura Poggi

“But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if
evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows
disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the
shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings.
Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because
of your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid.”
― Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita

© Estate of Laura Poggi

Don't worry, I haven't turned into a sad missed philospher (unfortunately).

I am the same. It's still me cynical and incapable of any optimism.

It has been another hopeless Wednesday.

Today I realized I have actually been studying Russian for 4 years and I cannot speak a word without feeling like one of those sad and totally unrealistic american characters pretending to speak with a fake Russian accent. Good for me. I have been nominated "SSY" (saddest student of the year).

I am the goddess of the three Is:

Impatience

Intolerance

Irritability

All my friends know all of me and carefully stay away from me and my incurable pessimis: I inspire self-destruction and suicidal manias. 

So I am here alone with my cat, my reflex and a very power desire for leaving.

But where am I supposed to go?
And who am I supposed to leave my beloved cat with?!

But then... then I see a pink winter sky. With threads and contrasts. And nobody will probably undestrand but in some way I manage to find my daily balance.

And everything suddenly looks like magic.  And my beloved Rufus cat is safe.
At least for now.