Something scrumptious
always simmering
in an old enamel pot.
Looks to have cooked a million meals
one hopes will never stop.
But as delectable to me
as these savory delights,
Nonna and Papa’s home
is a sweet-tooth paradise.
A candy-coated, chocolate-covered,
fantasyland,
with countless confectionaries
ever at hand.
Coffee candy, toffee bits.
Circus peanuts, caramel nips.
Cookie tins with crescents
that melt on my tongue,
leaving powdered-sugar fingerprints
wherever I’ve gone.
In nightstands, TV stands,
and cabinets, wall-to-wall;
in boxes, and pockets,
and purses in the hall.
I scan all the shelves
for a glimmer of color
through crystal candy dishes
in a glass-front cupboard.
On a mirrored table
beside the velvety green couch,
I find a lidded coffer
that has gone untouched.
Chasing my greedy reflection
over the mirrored table top,
I see no misgivings,
as I reach for the box.
Those would come later,
when at the dinner table,
Nonna presses me to eat,
but I simply unable.
Which is simply
not
done.
Author: Anne Celano Frohna
I have been writing for as long as I could hold a pencil in hand and would not feel complete without it.
And I actually made a meager living at it (and as an editor) for 25 years.
I worked for newspapers and magazines, in graphic arts and advertising, and wrote several local history books.
But I have also taught English in Japan, been a Nanny/family chef in Italy, worked in and for museums, was an Airbnb Superhost for four years, as well as an Etsy shop owner, where I sold vintage items I found over the years at thrift stores and yard sales.
After moving to Arizona with my family in 2010, I completed a series of different writing projects, including two books of creative non-fiction:
Just West of the Midwest: a comedy (Based on journals I kept during my two years as an English teacher in rural Japan.)
Within Close Range: short stories of an American Childhood (Short stories and poems about growing up as the middle of five children in suburban Chicago.)
But in the past few years, I have found my voice in poetry.
I am a mother of two wonderful girls, Eva (26) and Sophia (24) and wife to one wonderful husband, Kurt.
In 2023, with our girls grown and off on their own, my husband and I packed up our things and moved to the tip of Italy’s heel, to the Salento region, where I continue to work on my poetry, as well as a new fiction project, and indulge in my passion for mosaics - all of which you can view on my Instagram page @ acfrohna.
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Dog-eared Stories by anne celano frohna 