root

roots winding

between the potholes 

and the patches 

over many imperfections 

and alien frustrations

simple wants for most

then simply getting on

tradition haunts 

this tranquil place

of life out of doors

of milder days

of voices singing

like no one’s listening

like the whole world’s listening

familiar faces 

dot shadowed streets

branching outward

yet firmly planted

in stone layered places

with telltale traces

and sometimes open gates

where we long to peek

into still-life courtyards

and mostly quiet lives

shaped by sonorous voices 

upending the peace

with a whistle

a greeting

an impious burst

generous and guileless

connecting us

helping branches daily lengthen

roots strengthen

here bedded center

mid the measures 

and the layers

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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/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.