Ice Man – Felicia Sanzari Chernesky
I sneak them in—strawberry, watermelon,
orange, and lemon—asking, What’s your preference?
We slip him infant spoons; his mouth craves flavor
as much as chill. He swallows carefully
and says in desert whispers, so delicious.
A cool respite, until that frosty nurse
comes blustering back with cold packs for his head
at last. And then he glares, all eyes and ice,
that’s what he’s got: his ire—a frozen fiery
will to live—this lemon ice desire.
Felicia Sanzari Chernesky is a longtime editor, slowly publishing poet, and author of six picture books, including From Apple Trees to Cider, Please! and The Boy Who Said Nonsense (Albert Whitman & Company). In 2018 she moved away from the masthead of an academic quarterly to work with people who want to share their stories, ideas, and poems in print. Her fiction has been nominated for a 2021 Pushcart Prize and Best Microfiction Award. She lives with her family in Flemington, New Jersey. Find her online at www.feliciachernesky.com.