Let us cry for you, Nonna,
and for the memories written
in lines across your time-worn hands.
in lines across your time-worn hands.
Let us weep for the generations
lined up in faded photographs
along the wall,
whose forgotten names
you murmured in your sleep.
You left your kitchen spotless, Bella.
Apron hung on the back of a chair,
curtains swaying in the window
you opened in the hope
of getting some air.
Ten thousand hours spent making orecchiette,
and not one soul to stand beside you
underneath this burning sun.
Hear us cry, Maestra.
Hear us cry.
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Zoé Perrenoud has an M.A. in Creative Writing from Bangor University and works as a freelance writer and translator. Her work has appeared in the Aesthetica Creative Works Annual, Newcastle University’s Crossing the Lines: New Writing by International Students, and in various online publications (Delano, Story Seed Vault). She was shortlisted for the 2016 Bridport Short Story Prize and for the 2017 SiWC Storyteller’s Award. She is currently working on a YA fantasy novel inspired by The Secret Garden. Zoé lives in Luxembourg with her husband, son and two cats.
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