Erin Castaldi

The Rocky Road

daffodils 
in milk glass
afternoon snack

I had special occasion grandparents. The kind we saw at Christmas or graduations. On the rare circumstance that arose when we visited them at their converted farmhouse home, it was always a Sunday. A late morning visit that always felt awkward. We were all instructed to be on our best behavior. My grandparents still believed that children should be seen and not heard. The four of us, felt like they didn’t want us doing either.

There was, however, one silver lining. We would be offered a small cup of vanilla/chocolate swirl ice cream. It came with its own wooden paddle for eating. Running through the neighbors apple orchard, playing freeze tag with melted ice cream on our faces is one of the lighter memories, my siblings and I have together.

scent of dead leaves
black walnuts drop
into past lives

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About the Author

Erin Castaldi writes of nature and being a woman & mother with a chronic illness. She won Encircle Publications’ 2022 Chapbook Contest and had a chapbook of haibun poetry published in 2024 by Buttonhook Press. Her work has been translated into Japanese, Croatian, Romanian, Italian, German and Chinese. She’s also edited the Haiku Society of America’s Member’s Anthology 2021.

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