Hell Week In Florence

Written for Wea’ve Written Weekly.
As PoW this week, I suggested writing
8×4 Poems – 4 line stanzas, 8 syllables
per line. Here’s my poem based on a
real-life debacle in Florence, Italy.

In Florence at a grand hotel,
two girls were shown a room to share.
They heard the bells for dinner swell ….
“Go freshen up!” rang through the air.

The bathroom gleamed with marble bright,
a strange new bowl sat near the wall.
“A foot bath!” They cried with delight….
the strangest fixture of them all.

They soaked their feet without a care;
the paper towels then were tossed.
They stuffed the bidet then and there
not knowing what that act would cost.

The water rose, it would not drain,
it spilled across the tiled floor.
It crossed the room like summer rain
and crept in rivers out the door.

The guests all gasped, the parents paled,
the hotel staff came on the run.
The sisters had an epic fail ….
Hell Week in Florence had begun!

NAR©2026
#W3

Nancy’s Notes: This is based on a real family vacation many years ago. If you’re interested in the original story, here’s a link. https://theelephantstrunk.org/2024/03/25/fiasco-in-florence/

This is “The End of the Innocence” by Don Henley