rusty and neglected
among the thorns
and tall, wild grass
stands the marker of a man
long since passed
a sorrowful reminder
of all life that comes and goes
of the life some might remember
and soon no one will know
no one to tend the marker
none to remember the man
no one to even notice
the monument at hand
I pass it nearly everyday
and wonder who he was
to warrant such an epitaph
to earn such a tribute of love
and then to be forgotten
at a corner where no one stops
in front of an ugly chain link fence
midst trash and weeds and rocks
decomposing a little more each day
like a body in a grave
none to recall the forgotten man
was he good
was he loving
was he brave
what would he think
of his sad, unkempt shrine
and what would I say
if this pillar was mine
such things are for the living
such things not meant to stand
such tokens of such fleeting days
won’t remember the forgotten man
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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 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 of thrift 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.)
I've also written children's stories and continue to write short fiction, but have recently found my voice in poetry.
This blog, however, is where my greatest passion comes alive.
I am also a mother of two wonderful girls, Eva (23) and Sophia (21) and wife to one wonderful husband, Kurt.
View all posts by Anne Celano Frohna
Dog-eared Stories 