A sanctuary of golden hills, the Adriatic,
untamed landscapes, eagles, and bears,
where I dug for mushrooms and ate pasta alla chitarra,

where Fedele Romani of Teramo wrote poems
in my grandparent’s dialect, the language of shepherds.

I first tasted you at 17, again at 23,
and like Ovid of Sulmona did ages before,
I remembered you in dreams and verse.

In the shadow of native poet D’Annunzio,
I combed the beaches of Pescara, found calm
in the valleys of La Maiella, inspired by your stark splendor.

I pen racy confessions, having first felt alive
here in unearthed roots, where writer Cesare Fagiani
of Lanciano also bared his soul.

Amy Barone’s poetry collection, Defying Extinction, was published by Broadstone Books in 2022. New York Quarterly Books published her book, We Became Summer. She wrote chapbooks Kamikaze Dance (Finishing Line Press) and Views fro the Driveway (Foothills Publishing.) Barone lives in New York City and Haverford, PA. X (Twitter): @AmyBBarone