Francesca Ferrauto
Reading Is All I Do
I can only read so much German before my head hurts;
Yet, now in Berlin, reading is all I do.
„Warum das Coronavirus in Italien tödlicher ist“
a newspaper title I read in February
uneasy I call my family—they’re fine
Mamma says to buy protective masks
„Deutschland führt vorerst keine Schutzmasken Pflicht“
I read, so I hold tight to my money
I’ll buy toilet paper instead
„Corona-Krise: «Noch ist die Ruhe vor dem Sturm»“
the radio says in my German class,
I’ll stock up on some canned food—I think
Papà asks if I bought the protective masks
„RKI meldet mehr als 4000 Neuinfektionen“
I feel fine, I’ll eat my veggies maybe,
spinach never tasted so good
„Deutschland macht Grenzen dicht“
perhaps they’ll refund my flights—
should have gone home for Christmas
mia sorella* shows me funny masks on Insta
„Corona jetzt in fast allen Bundesländern“
caressing my health insurance card
I’m young, I’m healthy, I wash my hands
„Corona-Zustände wie in Italien auch in Deutschland“
I’ve social distanced for long enough—haven’t I?
we have flour, yeast and cat litter for a month
Schatzi touches my hand and smiles
„Erste deutsche Stadt erlässt Mundschutzpflicht“
Calling my family—hey, avevate ragione
I should have bought those masks
—Submitted on
Francesca Ferrauto‘s poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in Gravitas, Beyond Words, From Whispers to Roars, Berlino Magazine, Il Mitte, and other journals. Italian-born, Ferrauto has lived in London and Kyoto, and now lives in Berlin, where she is a digital editor. She serves on the board of the Women Writing Berlin Lab.
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