Books, Writings, and Poems - John Petraglia
Poetry
My poems have appeared in Wild Umbrella, InScribe, Thema, Meritage, Opus IV, Third Harvest, the California Writers Club Literary Review and other publications. They explore the human condition, the natural world and beauty in all its forms. Some are available in Broadsides.
Vocabulary Lesson
- John Petraglia, 2022
On an ordinary afternoon in Calistoga
a mother and daughter window shop
the young girl so filled with light
her shoe steps barely touch the sidewalk.
Teeming bags in one hand
clasped fingers the other
they move sweetly in the parent child trust
not broken yet by teen years.
In the privileged seconds
of a poetic coincidence
we draw near
and I overhear a life lesson disguised
as vocabulary building
reminding me of my own daughter
and the routines we somehow
had the wisdom to turn into rituals
we treasure still.
The first thing I hear is:
“That’s hyperbole, honey”
as the mother challenges her
with a five-dollar word.
“How would you spell that?”
The girl starts brightly “H-Y-B”
Mom interjects just as brightly
“Not a B, Julie, it’s a P like in Hyper.
Like Daddy, he’s hyper.”
They laugh and roll on
To the elfin E, ragamuffin R
and the blessings of the B.
“Like bees pollinating roses in our garden”
she lilts, and “O, like” . . .
And then of course they are out of earshot
and I am left to imagine a roseate denouement
for the story in my head
of what their O could be like.
Maybe as in a January orange,
sweet and weeping deliciously
or sectioned and placed just so in a lunch box
or as in a new Origami kit they would share
at a small kitchen table
on a rainy afternoon.
Ode to Kitchen Things
- John Petraglia, 2024
​Why did it take so long
To praise kitchen things
In their own poem?
How long have I taken for granted
these culinary boons?
The silent blessings of the microplane
With its airy gifts of fluffy reggiano
binding my pesto Genovese
or the tang of lemon zest
Alice Waters popularized
50 years ago at Chez Panisse.
The sturdy burr grinder
whirring Sumatran Arabicas
every morning into aromatic clouds
to push me into my day.
Even the dangerous mandolin
that mostly sits idle now
after slicing two fingertips
along with the lyonnaise potatoes.
What else do I take for granted?
The rubbery garlic peeler
Japanese mini cleaver
the yellow juicer clamp
that make my kitchen life
easier, faster, cleaner
let me move quickly thru
the five-step dish sure to dazzle
or even dance a whirl or two
around the wood block island
with you and your coup de champagne.
Want to see more poetry or purchase a broadside? Contact: jsp132n@gmail.com