Dad loved Hitchcock

Sandy DeLuca

Small for my age…

loved frilly dresses and

black patent leather shoes…

a hat and gloves when we went downtown.

Dad bought me books I asked for…

saved his dessert for me.

Loved Sunday cinema…

Hitchcock was his favorite.

Took me to see Psycho when

I was just a child.

I wanted Marion to get away

with the money.

Wanted her to marry the handsome man.

Too bad she stopped at the Bates Motel.

Loved that old house on the hill.

Just like Lila Crane,

I was drawn to

Mother’s bedroom…

all that fancy stuff on the bureau,

statuette of hands

above a bible.

Wardrobe filled with

old-fashioned clothes,

long sleeves that hid wrinkled arms.

I smelled mothballs…

stale perfume…

candle wax…

a hint of brandy.

Impression of Mother’s body

on the coverlet.

Where had she gone?

I could have gotten lost in that room…

searching for that old woman…

under that bed…

behind the curtains….

inside that wardrobe.

If I found her, would she

offer me chocolate candy

Plant a soft kiss on my cheek?

Take my hand and teach me

how to wield a knife?

So many questions.

In my young mind,

I changed the ending of that flick

a thousand times.

         Sandy DeLuca has written novels, several poetry and fiction collections and a few novellas. These include critically acclaimed works such as DESCENT and MESSAGES FROM THE DEAD.  Over the past three years, she also co-authored three novels with Greg F. Gifune.

            She was a finalist for the BRAM STOKER © for poetry award in 2001, with BURIAL PLOT IN SAGITTARIUS; accompanied by her cover art and interior illustrations. A copy is maintained in the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays Poetry at Brown University, 1976-2000. She was also nominated once more in 2014, with Marge Simon, for DANGEROUS DREAMS.

          Her visual art has also been published in books and magazines. It has been exhibited throughout New England and in New York’s Hudson Valley.

          She lives in Rhode Island with several feline companions, including a black cat named Gypsy and her two sons, Gemini and Leo. Another black cat, named Mojo, joined the household in 2023. He was born in her great grandfather’s house, a structure that was once a stagecoach stop. It’s the inspiration for recent short stories; and a novel in progress.

          In addition to her fiction, she is working on new poetry and a series of large-scale expressionistic paintings. She spends some of her free time volunteering at a local food pantry and a parrot sanctuary. Other interests include photographing abandoned buildings and perusing secondhand shops.