Fiadone

You move your finger

across the Fiadone recipe you teach me

and this is our version of swearing on a Bible

Your free hand is always moving too

It hands me the measuring cups

or motions towards the ingredients

“Easter cheese,

ricotta,

the zest of three lemons,

sugar to your liking--

But put a half-cup;

I always put a half-cup”

You turn a zesty cheese pie

into an early inheritance

You teach me the stuffing,

and you teach Cristina

how to make the crust

As if you are writing your epilogue

as a recipe

whose required skill set

has been cautiously delegated

to ensure that mimicking it

is always collaborative

Three fingers point to the recipe

and leave the huddle

careful not to flinch

at the fading penmanship

They roll or zest or measure

Our temporality will keep its distance

if we are busy

But when we don’t have our hands full,

we wait for the oven to beep

or for the pie to cool

And when dessert is on the table,

we wait for everyone to gather

before slicing into our family recipes

that we strain to keep relevant,

before you regift your pie cutter

to someone who will eat last

---

Fiadone, by Lucia De Luca.

As an English teacher and emerging spoken word artist, Lucia (Lu-chi-a) De Luca plays with stories in the classroom and on the mic. Her storytelling often nods to past versions of herself or centers around family and her Italian heritage. You can find more of her work published to the TEDx and Bankstown Poetry Slam YouTube channels, and in Baby Teeth Journal and Yolk Literary Journal.

IG: @luciadeluca96

Website: luciadeluca.com

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/luciadeluca