Diane DeCillis

Chez Pierre et Geneviève Pâtisserie

Driving past Chez Pierre et Geneviève Pâtisserie,
the sign alone triggers a craving for croissants—
flaky, caramel‑colored shell, its center
deepened to amber. I imagine pulling
it apart, feeling the gentle resistance of feuilletage—
fifty‑five layers, twenty‑seven seams of Normandy butter.

Crafted with the French fold, dough doubled
again and again into gossamer‑thin sheets,
cut to perfect triangles, rolled into crescents.

I marvel at its hollow core, honeycombs of pastry
rising from the center—bloom of noisette,
nutty butter, whisper of yeast—its lacquered surface
glistening like amber in a jeweler’s case.

I anticipate the first bite—crisp shards
shattering, flying everywhere—my mouth
opening like dusk,
waiting for the moon to drop
into night.

Diane DeCillis is the author of two poetry collections from Wayne State University Press. When the Heart Needs a Stunt Double was highlighted by Publishers Weekly in “Weathering the Times: Poetry 2021,” and her earlier collection, Strings Attached, received a Michigan Notable Book Award and won the Next Generation Indie Book Award. Her work has appeared in The Massachusetts Review, Rattle, The Missouri Review, and elsewhere, and was included in NASA’s Lunar Codex project. She lives in Michigan.