With full plates and mouths full,
we vie for Dad’s attention.
Except for Mark, the youngest,.
who’s quietly making faces
at the different conversations.
Having barely touched his plate,
Mark asks to be excused.
It’s a radical move.
As was Dad saying yes.
Something’s soon stirring
in the boys’ room above.
Then all eyes are drawn
through the dining room window,
overlooking the bluff,
to the darkening sky,
where an airplane is crossing.
Which wouldn’t be much,
if the thing wasn’t smoldering.
Hearts jump.
Mom shrieks.
Until the tiny model plane on fire,
hung up on its wire,
stops in mid-air.
Strung from the window
to a large, old oak on the lawn.
the tiny, model fighter jet
was soon gone.
All those hours he spent building it.
Admiring it.
High-wiring it.
Just went up in flames.
As Mark quietly returns to the table.
All eyes have turned to Dad,
who seems,
at first,
not to know how to react.
But then we see it:
an almost imperceptible grin.
Mark’s scrunched shoulders soften.
“Nice job,” laughs Jim,
“Twisted, but effective.”
I can see Mark is pleased.
He’s impressed a tough crowd.
Dare I say it?
Made us proud.
Except for Mom,
who’s still holding her heart.
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.
View all posts by Anne Celano Frohna
Dog-eared Stories by anne celano frohna 