On Day 9 of Laura Shovan's February Daily Poetry Project, the prompt led me to remember a secret that was untold until I was in grad school. Rachel Patton Toalson chose the theme. secrets stating "I've been thinking lately about how no matter how long you've known a person, there are still aspects of their lives that remain mysterious." I share with you a special story in my life that unfolded when I was a fledging adult.
Secrets Untold Unfold
3rd grade lesson
where are you from
didn’t know so
I asked at home
she did not tell
secret held close
others Irish
family French???
years later, secret
untold opened
mom rode boat to
America
from Italy
a little child
with her mother
father waiting
one family
together grew
American
lifestyle with friends
Italian
speaking with grand
until age five
moving onward
during grad school
swirling with pride
tale unfolded
told with honor
dressed like old world
childhood stories
pizza fritta
joy provided
where am I from
nonnie and mom
Rome New York- first
generation
©Carol Varsalona, 2026
So you may have realized the secret. Now, I will tell you why there was a secret for so long. My Nonnie believed that her children should be Americanized once she arrived in America, around 1921. Since I was the oldest grandchild born in the United States, I needed to act like an American. That meant speaking English and graduating from college. Life was different in the 20th Century. I did not know that I was a first-generation child of Italian descent until I was an adult. Where are you from?
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