Francis J Grasso Poet Prose

Notes About The Poem

"-Alone" is a rewrite of the poem "Alone", which was written originally for a contest.

- Alone

When I was very young
Before the cousins and friends,
And siblings,
When I was alone…

I was sitting on a blue linoleum floor
I turned and looked up to see a man
He was dressed in a military uniform
He was smiling at me
It was the early spring of 1944

Aunt Lucy carried me upstairs
The hallway was cold and dark
I had no emotion
She talked about the bogeyman
And how we had to hurry
I said, who is the bogeyman

Grandpa held me above the toilet
Bobbing me gently up and down
Grandma was turning the water faucet on and off
She said, go like this, Frankie
He said, phish phish, phish phish

The light turned red
The car slowed gently and came to a stop
Mom's right arm pressed against my chest
Pinning me in place as I stood upright on the passenger seat
No need for that, I thought

The street was dark
Mom’s car pulled over to the curb
She said this was Father Baker's Orphanage
If I didn’t start behaving, she would leave me here
I said this is not Father Baker's, it’s a house
Farther up the street, she stopped again
and said, this is the real Father Baker's
I said no, it’s just another house

Aunt Louisa put two thick books on the chair
Then sat me on them so I could eat at the table
We had lunch together, the two of us
Then she gave me three small garden tools
A rake, a shovel, and a hoe
Red, blue, and yellow
In the garden, she showed me how to use them

She carried me up a long flight of stairs
We were going to see her brand new granddaughter
Sleeping in her crib
Her cheeks were rosy red
She said she was going to call her Cherry, Cherry Pie

The basement was damp and dark
It stood in front of me
Eye to eye
The soiled wooden bars
A shield from the darting beak
Uncle Dan said Thanksgiving was coming
And it would be our supper

There was a streetcar stop at the end of the street
I could see them coming
Walking quickly
Their arms stretched out
I ran towards them as fast as I could
They were coming home from work

Aunt Marie held me comfortably in her arms
I sat on her forearm and hugged her neck
The living room was lit with just a single large window
She showed me two photographs framed in gold and covered with glass
Two men, soldiers in uniform
Which one is your father, she said

I smelled onion and mustard
It steamed as she carried it toward the bedroom
My father was home from England, France, and Germany
For two years afterward, he battled bronchitis
He won that fight, too

I stood at the end of the driveway and waited
The air was cool
I wasn’t allowed inside the house
It was a wake, and my grandmother was dead

We walked to school together
She showed me how to cross the parkway
She said to wait for her at the door when school let out
Later on, to meet her halfway at the parkway signal

I saw the green fumes wafting down through the mask
I struggled to breathe and tried to push it away
I heard a woman screaming
Doctor, doctor, he’s got me
I looked down and saw them all there
In their pale green gowns
Gathered around the table
The room spun and then went dark
When I awoke, the pain was gone

I learned to read music and play the trumpet
Jujuan was a magnificent musician
I learned quickly, and I played well
I saw her mock the song I played
I never played again

The mailman came to the door
He was crying
Sam was in his arms

I carefully cut into the paper shells and removed the powder
I collected enough to fill the Small metal cartridge
This rocket motor will not melt from the heat, I said
The blast was deafening
Albert came running from his store
What was that he screamed
Burpie yelled across the street to his petrified mother
Firecracker mom, not one of ours, though
Had Allen not bled so much, I might have gotten away with just that

No puppies allowed
He was all black
He stayed for a few days, and then he was gone
I can’t remember his name

Feb 18, 2026

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Kim Rodrigues February 18, 2026 at 5:54 AM I held my breath through much of this poem. A poignant and heartfelt write! Fave! … The basement was damp and dark It stood in front of me Eye to eye… I saw her mock the song I played I never played again (this part makes me think about when I played tennis on a team. I was the weakest link and they let me know this. Likewise never did it again)