Writing History
Amy B. Barone
Did it begin in Italy in the shadow of La Maiella where a young man trudged down unpaved roads in search of a better life, a bigger world, new prospects for love and work
Leaving behind brothers and sisters with whom he'd never again share a meal or a laugh or a hug
Resolved to set stakes in an unseen land and never look back
How does New York fit in where a mismatched couple met and married at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
An unassuming truck driver with his driven wife who taught English to immigrant children while raising eight offspring
East Harlem residents for years until they were enticed away to a street of row homes filled with paesani
Or are the true origins Pennsylvania where another mismatched couple met and married
An ambitious hardware merchant with his English teacher wife who quit work to raise three daughters
Depression-era parents who knew how to stretch a dime, worked hard at everything, instilled values and morals, but found time for travel and play
Why the lure to Italy? To know them better, to learn their language, to walk the roads now paved
Where the secrets unraveled of how to be an Italian, how to be an American
And you couldn't stay forever as hard as you tried - like them, always looking ahead to new opportunities
Have you now come full circle, dropping anchor in New York, a place that overwhelmed you as a child
Inhabiting a multicultural universe where no one invites you over for an espresso or suggests a lake ride on a quiet Sunday afternoon
Where you struggle like those who came before, but no paesano holds out a hand
