GERRITSEN BEACH — Marie DeFonzo, 98, pours her life experiences into her poetry.  

With her Catholic faith and love for God as recurring themes, and always handwriting in a spiral notebook in her Gerritsen Beach home, she has reflected on her life in poems she plans to pass down to younger generations of her family.  

DeFonzo, a parishioner of Good Shepherd-Resurrection Parish, said that incorporating religion into her poetry comes naturally because of her upbringing.  

“I came from Italy when I was five years old. The Italian culture was … they’re churchgoers,” she explained. “So, I was born with it, and I just kept it up.”

In one poem, called “Prayer,” DeFonzo speaks to the Blessed Mother, telling her, “I am elderly now and so sad with the world in despair. And I need a mother to quell my fear.”

 ‘Prayer’ 

Dear Mother Mary, full of grace, 

With serenity, peace and love shining in your face, 

I have a need to kneel at your feet, 

And place my head and heart on your knee, 

Like when I was a child and my mom did for me. 

I am already now so sad, 

I am elderly now and so sad with the world in despair, 

And I need a mother to quell my fear. 

I praise Jesus and God for living,  

And for all the blessings given. 

I pray that Mother Mary will be near, 

To remove all my fear and the world’s despair. 

— Marie DeFonzo 

Now housebound after a series of falls, DeFonzo writes one poem a week. 

“I’m housebound, and I love (writing) because it’s almost like journaling,” she said. “So, anyone that reads some of this, and they’re younger, can relate to this.

“But I also like that I’m leaving something for them about our background.”

Her subject matter includes everyday events in her life, whether it be a visit to the doctor’s office, the weather outside, or important things on her mind. Her husband, Guy DeFonzo, is her editor and types up her poems, making her creativity a team effort.

“I’m very thankful that he can use a computer,” she said of her 98-year-old husband.

“She’s always had a real hankering to write,” Guy said. “She must have 200, maybe 300 poems scattered in four or five or six spiral notebooks she has. And she’s got a nice fistful of prose and poems that I’ve been typing for her.”

He said his wife’s poetry has led him to contemplate life and faith.

“You won’t believe it, but the older you get, the closer you get to God,” he added.

The couple was married 71 years ago in St. Catharine of Alexandria Church in Borough Park. When they moved to Gerritsen Beach 65 years ago, they became active in Resurrection Church, where Marie sang in the choir. 

For a time, she volunteered at a local senior citizens’ center and wrote poems for the older adults there, including poems to celebrate their birthdays.

“I just always wrote,” she explained. “So, when I got to the senior center, I had to write.”

Marie sees her poetry as an outgrowth of the personal writing she did as a child.

“When I was young, I used to say, ‘Dear Diary,’ ” she said. “Now, it’s like journaling.”

— Katie Vasquez contributed to this story