[Verse 1]
She prefers "Mrs. Romano," not her given name,
Seventy-eight years of dignity, and formality's her frame.
Slow the pace, adjust the chair, let her set the tempo down,
A baroque movement, measured notes — respect becomes the crown.
Pull the blinds to catch the light, position face to face,
Amplify your consonants, let clarity replace
The muffled garble, mumbled rush that swallows what you mean —
When hearing falters, posture matters, make the channel clean.
[Chorus]
L'alleanza, build it slow, guadagna la fiducia,
Earn the trust before the work, this is the prima regola.
Name and title, pacing, light — three pillars hold the door,
Non si affretta — never rush — allora we can go much more.
[Verse 2]
"Therapy" — that word lands wrong for men who fixed machines,
Who equate the couch with weakness, breakdown, adolescent scenes.
Call it "coping strategies," call it "adjustment skills,"
Reframe the whole appointment as a workshop, not for ills.
"Your doctor thought these techniques might help shoulder what you carry,"
Not "you need a shrink" — instead: a craftsman's inventory.
Meet him at the kitchen table, not a sterile room,
The bedside of a care home wing, familiar as perfume.
[Chorus]
L'alleanza, build it slow, guadagna la fiducia,
Earn the trust before the work, this is the prima regola.
Name and title, pacing, light — three pillars hold the door,
Non si affretta — never rush — allora we can go much more.
[Bridge]
When family sends a reluctant elder through the door,
Acknowledge straight: "You didn't choose this — tell me what's in store."
Name the elephant, the referral, honor the resistance,
Cultural humility demands you cover greater distance.
An elder shaped by history you haven't fully read —
Ask before assuming, let their framing move ahead.
Diverse elders carry wisdom wrapped in layered narrative weight,
Curiosity, not competence-as-ceiling — that's the gate.
[Verse 3]
Larger font on handouts, fourteen-point at minimum,
Written summaries for sessions — memory's gymnasium.
Position lamps to cast on your lips, not behind your head,
A back-lit silhouette obscures the very words you've said.
Nontraditional geography is where the work gets real —
A geropsychologist brings the clinic, not just the ideal.
Consent explained in segments, check for comprehension gaps,
Alliance built on honesty, not therapeutic traps.
[Chorus]
L'alleanza, build it slow, guadagna la fiducia,
Earn the trust before the work, this is the prima regola.
Name and title, pacing, light — three pillars hold the door,
Non si affretta — never rush — allora we can go much more.
[Outro]
Mrs. Romano nods — the third session, something shifts,
Not magic, not a breakthrough flash — accumulated gifts
Of consistency, of deference, of reading what she needs,
L'alleanza, root by root — the oldest, slowest seeds.