'My way of cooking pasta' by Carla Scarano D'Antonio from 'Workwear', a collection of her poems.
.jpg "Workwear by Carla Scarano D'Antonio")
My way of cooking pasta
I often think of rules
as a constraint of the soul
chaining up my freedom,
but keeping me safe,
like a warm plate of pasta
cooked and eaten at home.
Running away from home
revealed itself to be quite un-safe
others wanted me to obey their rules.
Sadness upset my soul,
there was no place for homemade pasta.
Leaving my father's I didn't break the rules,
though my mother didn't like spicy pasta.
I was looking for a place to be safe
without giving up my freedom
where trottole and penne could mix
with tortiglioni and fusilli.
I chose the shape which matched my freedom,
it melted the stone in my gut.
I prepared his favourite dressing,
ricotta and tomato sauce
sprinkled with oregano and coriander seeds.
We didn't waste our time following empty rules:
just ate it and felt safe
as we turned a strange place into our home.
Carla Scarano D'Antonio is an Italian teacher, poet, short story writer and artist. Please see