Morning Confessions Over Coffee

Personal Gratitude Review

I first opened Illicit Croissants at Dawn in a moment of quiet curiosity. By the second page, it felt like

Francesca Bossert

was sitting across from me, chatting about life’s quirks over a steaming espresso.

Her voice is frank and witty. Her lines sparkle with whimsy. Then, right when you expect a lull, she drops an image so bright you feel it singe the page.

It happened for me early on with “My Body Wants to Be Spanish.” One moment I was smiling at that funky pink Fiat, the next I was daydreaming about daring strolls through Girona, thinking maybe I want a pink and sandy-beige coat, too. This collection sneaks up on you like that, turning ordinary moments into roving adventures.

She softens us with humor, then pulls back the curtain in “Arrivals” to reveal a universal truth about waiting, yearning, and the swirl of emotions that gather in airport lounges. That poem left me feeling nostalgic for strangers I have never even met. It is a perfect reflection of how poetry can change the way we see the world. Then there is “NOTHING, REALLY,” the quiet stunner that wraps commonplace sights in the hush of genuine awe. It makes you wonder if our day-to-day joys are far grander than we ever dared to admit. After I read it, all I wanted was to sit in silence and listen to the soft sound of raindrops tapping against the window.

I am convinced readers of The Power of Poetry will find a sweet camaraderie in these pages. Here is a poet who sees an elegantly bored cat and turns it into a touchstone for feeling alive. She sets you free to chase your own wild impulses, then calls you back to roost in the gentlest lines. It is a warm invitation to remember why we write: to witness the small, potent dramas inside ordinary living.

Writers in search of fresh techniques will discover comedic shifts, breezy pacing, and personal glimpses that refuse to shy away. Lovers of the written word will find themselves lingering, letting the verses soak in, sensing new directions for their own work. Poems here are never just words; they are living postcards from someone unafraid to bare a soul.

Francesca, thank you for sharing your world at such a vulnerable and electric time. Your lines shimmer with hope, and I have no doubt new readers will see you as a trusted friend in poetry. May your words keep lighting up unexpected corners of our lives.

Cover and section illustrations by Olivia Bossert—great graphic work that brings every playful line of Francesca’s poems to life

Friends, there is only one way to see if you are ready for an illicit croissant at dawn. Visit ILLICIT CROISSANTS AT DAWN and let these pages pull you into their gentle mischief. You might find yourself crocheting a pink scarf before sunrise or whispering poetry to a cat that suddenly seems wide awake.

Here is the biggest surprise of all. Tomorrow at daybreak, you will wonder whether you stumbled into a dream, because breakfast will never look the same once you discover what these poems are really serving