tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82061443342938124902024-03-20T04:33:16.903-07:00Canandaigua Writers GroupWood Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361230502334460823noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-61813909879498889652023-07-21T15:43:00.000-07:002023-07-21T15:43:38.957-07:00Anybody’s Poem by Gavin Spanagel<p><br /></p><p>Anybody’s Poem </p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What to hold onto<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> Vs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What to touch<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What to soak<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What to brush<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What to ignore<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What to go for<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What to save<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What to spend<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Anyone could have <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">written this poem.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">June 2, 2023 by Gavin Spanagel<o:p></o:p></span></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-52864960831896196492023-07-21T15:39:00.003-07:002023-07-21T15:39:40.535-07:00Acorn Dreams by Gavin Spanagel<p><br /></p><p> <span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Acorn Dreams</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do acorns dream</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">With open eyes<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Longing for limbs<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Believing in leaves?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">What’s under their cap<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">An itch to bark?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">A cool patch of earth<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">To stretch roots<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Acorn dreams on.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">June 2, 2023 by Gavin Spanagel<o:p></o:p></span></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-49694090215057610322023-07-17T06:03:00.000-07:002023-07-17T06:03:19.513-07:00Ask Me What I Know of Blue by Maureen Teresa McCarthy<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Ask Me What I Know of Blue<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">I’ve got the blues the lady sings<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Give me blue mountains not a gold ring<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue days and blue rivers<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue water running to the sea<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue pines and blue jays <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue haze and blue cheese <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue dusk and blue dawn <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue blessing and sorrow<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue of all tomorrow<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">All this blue and water <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Sliding through my hands<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">No longer blue but silver clear<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Shifting as the sand<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Bluebirds and blue moods <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blueberries plump and sweet<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue blood and a robin’s egg<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">My blue heaven <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Life on this blue planet<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blue infinity <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">We are one in water every vein is blue<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blood beneath every skin <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Is all the same in you<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-1991778911010714922023-05-05T18:17:00.000-07:002023-05-05T18:17:11.241-07:00Maybe In Another Life by Linda McIlveen <p><span class="TextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span class="TextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">n another life </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">maybe I</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">would </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">have been braver about challenging those </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">who</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">tried to </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">convince me that </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I was who I wasn’t</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Steered my</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> own</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> course rather </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">than sailing to</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> the</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> port </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">th</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">os</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">e </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">judgmental f</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ew</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> had </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">pre-determined</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> was</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> my </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">destination.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); clear: both; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW182958366 BCX4" paraeid="{f420a867-921a-48db-931d-2e6c991da844}{227}" paraid="1742431022" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="TextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In a</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; 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background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">self criticism</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, I might have done wondrous things for which </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I'd</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> be </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed GrammarErrorHighlight SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); 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background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: var(--clrSquiggleHighlightTextColor, #000000); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, and</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">reward</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ed for</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> what </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; 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caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); clear: both; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW182958366 BCX4" paraeid="{56e01234-8f7e-499e-8292-4866657f1b8a}{20}" paraid="754218723" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="TextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A person ready to meet </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">and be with </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">that</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> dreamed of </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">man</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">. The one </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">whose hair </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">would be dark as </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">night</span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">with</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> eyes that shone with </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">wisdom, humor, and reflected the sea and the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">heavens. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The one who would </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">recognize and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">love, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">the woman </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I’ve</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> always thought I could be. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW182958366 BCX4" paraeid="{56e01234-8f7e-499e-8292-4866657f1b8a}{20}" paraid="754218723" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="EOP SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); clear: both; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW182958366 BCX4" paraeid="{56e01234-8f7e-499e-8292-4866657f1b8a}{60}" paraid="1672543485" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="TextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Miracles </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">and magic </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">aren’t</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> unheard of but rare. For me in this life</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, the belief is not yet gone, bu</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">t fades</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> away </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">like memories</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, as more </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,PD94bWwgdmVyc2lvbj0iMS4wIiBlbmNvZGluZz0iVVRGLTgiPz4KPHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iNXB4IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjNweCIgdmlld0JveD0iMCAwIDUgMyIgdmVyc2lvbj0iMS4xIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHhtbG5zOnhsaW5rPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8xOTk5L3hsaW5rIj4KICAgIDwhLS0gR2VuZXJhdG9yOiBTa2V0Y2ggNTUuMiAoNzgxODEpIC0gaHR0cHM6Ly9za2V0Y2hhcHAuY29tIC0tPgogICAgPHRpdGxlPmdyYW1tYXJfZG91YmxlX2xpbmU8L3RpdGxlPgogICAgPGRlc2M+Q3JlYXRlZCB3aXRoIFNrZXRjaC48L2Rlc2M+CiAgICA8ZyBpZD0iZ3JhbW1hcl9kb3VibGVfbGluZSIgc3Ryb2tlPSJub25lIiBzdHJva2Utd2lkdGg9IjEiIGZpbGw9Im5vbmUiIGZpbGwtcnVsZT0iZXZlbm9kZCIgc3Ryb2tlLWxpbmVjYXA9InJvdW5kIj4KICAgICAgICA8ZyBpZD0iR3JhbW1hci1UaWxlLUNvcHkiIHN0cm9rZT0iIzMzNTVGRiI+CiAgICAgICAgICAgIDxwYXRoIGQ9Ik0wLDAuNSBMNSwwLjUiIGlkPSJMaW5lLTItQ29weS0xMCI+PC9wYXRoPgogICAgICAgICAgICA8cGF0aCBkPSJNMCwyLjUgTDUsMi41IiBpZD0iTGluZS0yLUNvcHktMTEiPjwvcGF0aD4KICAgICAgICA8L2c+CiAgICA8L2c+Cjwvc3ZnPg==")); background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">days</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> pass.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW182958366 BCX4" paraeid="{56e01234-8f7e-499e-8292-4866657f1b8a}{60}" paraid="1672543485" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="EOP SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); clear: both; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847); cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW182958366 BCX4" paraeid="{56e01234-8f7e-499e-8292-4866657f1b8a}{80}" paraid="1966758981" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="TextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Maybe </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">i</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">n</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">a</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">noth</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">er l</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ife, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">all this was or could have</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> been</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">M</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">aybe in</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> another life, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">it </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">still </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">could </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW182958366 BCX4" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">be!</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW182958366 BCX4" paraeid="{56e01234-8f7e-499e-8292-4866657f1b8a}{80}" paraid="1966758981" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="EOP SCXW182958366 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: normal !important; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.345833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></p></div>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-28437762450517835792023-01-07T12:57:00.004-08:002023-01-07T13:06:35.873-08:00A Solemn Event by Karen Sorce<br /><span style="color: #0b5394;">It was a solemn event, but one that mostly went unnoticed by other people.<br /><br />She stood, holding in one hand something that had been important once upon a time. The other hand held the cold, metal railing.<br /><br />For a long time, she was a statue, could’ve been sculpted in marble, a beautiful angel.<br /><br />A chilling breeze came up, blowing her coat’s hood down, pushing strands of blond hair around her face. She ignored them. Ignored everyone and everything. Except for her thoughts.<br /><br />If anyone had approached her, they might have been able to see the tears.<br /><br />It was the wrong time of year for picnics and romps across the grass and over the rocks, through the trees. A few hearty parents and children were there, couples huddled together in some places. People were still walking, passing her by on Central Park’s famous Bow Bridge. <br /><br />She could’ve told them about the history of it, built in 1862, a romantic meeting spot, a place where couples got engaged. Views of the Fifth Avenue skyline. It had been a special place for her, too…once.<br /><br />She never felt unsafe there, walking miles through the park, watching the birds, breathing in the scents of the trees and grass that was hard to find in the City. The sounds of horses’ hooves as they clomped along, pulling carriages with tourists doing the traditional ride. She always felt bad for the horses. Felt it was somewhat of an abuse of the beasts, though most were certainly well cared for. Just like people.<br /><br />The traffic on the Bow Bridge quieted. She held her hand out over the water, opened it. <br /><br />She wasn’t sure which thing hit the water and disappeared first – her wedding band. Or her single tear.<br /><br /> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></o:p></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-37200650690099419952023-01-07T08:09:00.000-08:002023-01-07T08:09:18.566-08:00Chestnuts By Terry Le Feber<p><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">What a delicious time of year to have a murder. The family all gathered around the roaring fireplace, Christmas Tree ablaze in lights and shiny decorations, wassail bowl filled in anticipation, when suddenly, mean old Chet falls dead, face down, into the roaring fire.</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The flames are so intense and large as if sent by the Devil himself. Before anyone can reach him, Chet’s clothes are aflame.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">John and Jake, Chet’s two sons, grab his ankles and drag the corpse off the pyre and roll it up in a Persian carpet, extinguishing the flames.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Flames safely out, John rolls the smoking Chet onto his back and everyone stares down at the crispy critter who once was a father, husband, grandfather and the biggest philanderer within a five county radius.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Karen screams and points. “Oh my god! Look at his pants! Look at his crotch!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“Hmmm,” says Bill, Karen’s latest heart throb. “Well, yes. It would appear he has now been cooked. As one might say, as the song goes, ‘Chet’s nuts roasted on an open fire’. Eh?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Karen is now laughing uncontrollably and proclaiming, “The old bastard finally got it in the end. Right where he oughta… in old the storage locker!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Bill, John and Jake quickly look down at their zippers, collectively vowing to keep their equipment ‘in the storage locker’.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Karen doesn’t care about Bill and the contents of his storage locker. She’s going dump him after New Year’s and head south and find a certain Cabana Boy. Why not? She inherits dear old Chet’s estate, or will, after her two brothers expire.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Later, the police come. As this was a death with the body being badly damaged, the coroner orders an autopsy and inquest. Only then did it come out that old Chet had been murdered with a thin spiked cylindrical weapon. Possibly a woman’s hatpin? But, no one present at Chet’s roasting was known to use or have such a device.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Karen had dumped her hatpin collection years ago. But, she did save one piece for a possible special occasion. The special occasion had now come and gone, taking Chet and his nuts with it. And, no one would ever find that special hatpin.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-40917797551741997432022-01-08T12:07:00.000-08:002022-01-08T12:07:32.029-08:00Mourning those I never met but still miss: A heartfelt thank you. By Linda McIlveen<br /><br />The streets were desolate. True, in these times of a never ending pandemic, of violence, and natural disasters I'd expected less traffic but this was different. All the store fronts were empty, the side walks and crossings devoid of pedestrians and no vehicles in the street.<br /><br />This had to be a dream or a nightmare? Could, as some speculated, the world always have been a virtual projection, one that had suddenly been switched off by its creator, signaling game over?<br /><br />I began to fear there was no one or nothing left except me, but then I spotted it. A bus sat at the corner painted in psychedelic hues that reminded me of the 1960s tie dyed shirts.<br /><br />Those times weren’t easy on the world either. There was war, civil unrest, and confusion. My own life hadn’t exactly been idyllic. There was the battle for life my body had come close to losing in its early stages, not taking in enough of what it needed to sustain itself.<br /><br />The sometimes even fiercer struggle to find love and acceptance in a world I never could totally understand and never really understood me. There were a few people who tried, others who didn’t make an effort and those who were out and out cruel to one that was so different. <br /><br />At some point it became easier just to pretend that the majority of my actual existence could simply be erased by disappearing into the alternate realities of the mind.<br /><br />My imagination was one of the few strengths I possessed, and the music, books, and television shows, I’d surrounded myself with in reality provided the fuel to add to it and sustain it. <br /><br />My feet began moving toward that one spot of bright color in the other wise beige barrenness. <br /><br />Part of me feared getting on that bus but something told me I had to because there was something I had to accomplish, a debt that needed repaying. It didn’t matter that very few would get why I felt I owed it.<br /><br />As I approached, the door opened. Putting aside my nervousness I climbed aboard. The driver was dressed more like a chauffeur in a black uniform and hat. He kept his head turned, and did not acknowledge my presence. There was a passenger in the seat directly behind him but he was holding up a newspaper in a way that kept me from getting a proper glimpse of him. <br /><br />Being ignored still stung a little but I'd kind of become used to it through the years and much preferred it over being berated for simply existing as had happened more than once.<br /><br />I frowned as I wondered whether the imaginary universe where I’d always felt accepted was closing its doors in my face. I mean many of the people who had populated it had passed away in the real world, maybe they could no longer exist here either. <br /><br />Tears began to fall but then I heard a familiar British accented voice say, “Hey now! Don’t cry love. I’m still around for you. As long as you’re alive and have your memories, I’ll always be here, when needed.”<br /><br />I looked up and there he was looking exactly like he had when my five year old self had first laid eyes on him. He had long dark hair and kind chocolate colored eyes. He was kind of short, and over the years as I’d grown in height, I’d come to prefer to add taller guys to my very nice to look at gallery. It didn’t matter. He was still my first celebrity crush, Davy Jones of the Monkees. <br /><br />At that tender age I didn’t really know what physical attraction was or what adult relationships entailed. I only knew when he smiled he made me smile, and hearing him speak and sing so soft and gentle calmed my fears. <br /><br />Whenever I turned on the TV on Saturday mornings, he and his three mates would make me laugh so hard, I’d forget the mean faces, the sting of the ruler against my bare back, and the taunting words of my teacher who’d punished me just for laughing. <br /><br />They reminded me that being happy was not only not wrong but wonderful. During the rest of the week I had their records to sing to and that always made me feel better no matter what bad thing had happened at school.<br /><br />That made me want to live in a world where they were actually a part of my life. I even remember putting on my communion dress and veil and pretending I was marrying Davy, at age seven, even though I knew I was way too little. <br /><br />He patted the seat next to him. I moved forward and did as he indicated. “So talk to me,” he said. “You’ve listened to our music on and off over the years but you’ve really been thinking about us again a lot over the past few. Why?” <br /><br />“Remember the song you and Peter did the duet on, “Shades of Gray?” <br /><br />“Yes, it was a beautiful one.”<br /><br />“After the World Trade Center was hit, that song came into my head and I needed to hear it again. Especially that line, “We had never lived without or tasted fear.” It described exactly what I was feeling. The terror, the doubt, and confusion. The people who wrote that song for you in the sixties and you guys who performed it must have felt much the same way back then as we did on 9/11, and like the way we feel again now.<br /><br />You all experienced those dark times but you not only survived but found a way to remember the joys of singing and laughter and shared it with the rest of us.<br /><br />“Like a sad lonely little girl?” <br /><br />“Yes. It reconnected me to the Monkees music and reminded me how much you guys meant to me, and how much I owed you. Then you died, then Peter, and a few weeks ago Mike too. Three of the four of you are gone and I never got to say thank you, because I didn’t ever get to meet you,” I said.<br /><br />“You’re telling me now, and you also told them.” The bus driver turned around and I saw he was Mike Nesmith. The man with the paper lowered it and grinned. It was Peter Tork.<br /><br />“But you’re not real,” I protested.<br /><br />“Hey, the critics claimed we weren’t a real band but we were. You know why because when we played and sang we played with love, and when all of you fans watched our show, bought our records, came to see us, and still remember us after 57 years, you returned that love. Love is always real, man!” Mike said.<br /><br />“And it never dies! Plus there’s still Micky in your verse,” Peter added. <br /><br />“They're right you know, love, and remember what I said we are always in your heart and mind ready to cheer you up, and despite that “Don’t Listen to Linda,” song I once sang. We will always listen to you,” Davy said.<br /><br />“Love you guys!”<br /><br />“Love you too.”<br /><br />With that I was back in the actual world with all its problems but even though there was darkness and gray there was light too. “Alexa, play Laugh by the Monkees. I said. Davy’s voice filled the room with song. I smiled knowing as long as I live I'll remember those four talented guys who taught me never to be ashamed of that joyous sound. To Davy, Peter, Mike and Micky, thanks guys for being there then and now.<br /><br />C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-42081443056537976432021-06-03T08:01:00.003-07:002021-06-03T08:05:42.251-07:00 VAN GOGH by Karen Sorce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqghfJnqYQ7O_983xiuwCayEOVDbpYq50z0S7xwcdoEQaFb_xArIpzG7LXmS0tOnTRiavo7wHB9Vi_4S5v4WbRRnKXIKg_zpNtXZXkxI35tRKf9zd_tx5m3a-0Y9ThTD0fAwj5HJM1r_g4/s2048/KarensVanGogh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqghfJnqYQ7O_983xiuwCayEOVDbpYq50z0S7xwcdoEQaFb_xArIpzG7LXmS0tOnTRiavo7wHB9Vi_4S5v4WbRRnKXIKg_zpNtXZXkxI35tRKf9zd_tx5m3a-0Y9ThTD0fAwj5HJM1r_g4/s320/KarensVanGogh.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">I think I know why Van Gogh painted<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Driven mad<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">By sky blue brush strokes<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Fields of golden wheat<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">And faces needing <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Relief spread across a canvas<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Desire in those colors he carried<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">No comfort found<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">But still – <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">The trying<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">A precious thing to get it right<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">And try again<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">If he could only know<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">The madness gave us so much more<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Than Vincent’s pain<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">His mangled ear<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Starry nights and sunflowers<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Wild strokes of iris petal purples<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Delicate almond blossoms<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Letters to Theo of hopes and dreams<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Expressed and understood<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">By those who follow in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">The passion of his paints<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">In our own mad desires<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Brush in hand<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">* original art and poetry by Karen Sorce</span></o:p></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-28570139809207406212021-06-03T07:45:00.004-07:002023-03-29T12:30:34.048-07:00A WALK by Terry Le Feber<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">I’m in a garden. A garden like I’ve never seen before. A garden filled with reds, blues, whites, lavenders. So many hues. Such an abundance. And all these fragrances. Deliciously overwhelming. I never to want leave.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">Slowly I walk through the wondrous landscape, seeing and hearing all the little birds with their various melodies. Here and there, monarch butterflies flit about. Bees buzzing, hop from flower to flower, making magic. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">I sit down under an arboretum’s latticed dome to rest, contemplate, and absorb all that is around me. I’m in Heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">After what seems a wonderful term in Eternity, I arise and walk from the lattice’s respite to follow the path to even more gardens. But…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">What happened to all the loveliness? It’s gone. I’m in the pale of night, in an eerie purplish blue fog, on a bridge arching over a wide river. In the distance, I see blurry yellow lights from lampposts. It’s warm as a soft summer’s eve should be. I’m not afraid. Perhaps perplexed? Then curious. What happened to my wondrous garden of flowers? I’ve gone from a summer’s afternoon to eventide in a blink. How so, I ask? I contemplate the slow moving water as the purple-blue mist softly envelopes me and the sky above, which I cannot see. As before, I enjoy the warmth of heavenly bliss and do not wish to leave.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">A warm wind pushes the haze away and takes me to where I already thought I was. Above me is Heaven with swirls of light. There are stars, planets, cosmic bursts, streaks of white, traces of blues. But, the stars! I am within the most beautiful of starry nights.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">I question the “why” of all this. So much beauty. So many changes. Changes so diverse. Changes so beautiful, and I at the center of it all. Who, what, made this happen? Happen to me? Who or what is so powerful, so understanding, so wonderful, as to select me to enjoy so much in so short a time? Surely, I am dreaming?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">No. Not dreaming. Just a person. A person living in the moments of great mens’ imaginations, creativity and love.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16.959999084472656px;">Slowly I close my copy of the Collected Works of the Impressionists Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. My favorite artists.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667098999023px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><br /></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-72003956443163619402021-03-09T15:06:00.001-08:002021-03-09T15:07:52.593-08:00WHO AM I? by Dennis Lutz<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am a veteran with good memories of my time in the Army</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet I feel uncomfortable when talking about it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have gone to war, proud to have served my country.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have questioned war, those that clamor for it have never been in it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I helped raise a family, I have known and still know love.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have led soldiers in war and in peace. I have run businesses.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My life has been driven by events, requirements, people and due outs.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What happened to my world?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Where is my path now? Where are my milestones?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When did politics get so extreme?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am out of place, out of time and out of shape. What happened to my waist?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How has life moved on and I have not. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What happened to my passion, my drive. Where is my memory? Names of my grandchildren escape me. How can that be?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My muscles are sore now, and I tire more easily. How will I look with a cane?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My grandchildren wear me out now. They are so innocent.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Will I be remembered when I fade away?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As I take my walk, the wind blows across my face. I like wind.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I wave and say hi to my fellow walkers who are out and about. We all smile, all lost in our own questions. COVID sucks. Must maintain our social distancing.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Who am I? A speck in time or an eternal spirit. The eternal spirit appeals to me, but today my body aches. I am a senior citizen, needing a nap.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">© Dennis Lutz, January 2021</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Material may be reprinted or distributed only with author permission<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-1539084491452254072020-11-19T16:12:00.000-08:002020-11-19T16:12:30.872-08:00IN QUARANTINE by Mimi Benson<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The rain came hard this morning</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Leaving one stream flowing down my window.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It captures me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This is my river, wide enough for two boats to pass<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Deep enough for a ship carrying cargo and music<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A quartet from Chicago<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jazz from Basin Street.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At my back, the room has stayed the same for days<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For weeks, for quiet months<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But my river, with its beginning and end, keeps rolling<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And I’ll sit on the boat deck, hearing the music<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">All the way to New Orleans.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-56649632909870943342020-10-13T14:10:00.000-07:002020-10-13T14:10:13.484-07:00"X" by Maija De Roche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpmp1ywMo-Tf_tQo9m645lGZ_-_0I4235iY1EweYEs4UsTmQVdrrHjOMpvEAV3-8K-LnvmCeaHYPw6bIzvXqxDO44QzwLFolh-MPPtogHL9nr8ic5P3jAmXvN-Tkx1uDtOgr2CH9uJbPc/s2000/X+mark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1845" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpmp1ywMo-Tf_tQo9m645lGZ_-_0I4235iY1EweYEs4UsTmQVdrrHjOMpvEAV3-8K-LnvmCeaHYPw6bIzvXqxDO44QzwLFolh-MPPtogHL9nr8ic5P3jAmXvN-Tkx1uDtOgr2CH9uJbPc/w103-h112/X+mark.JPG" width="103" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">Only small chunks of dirty ice were left in the shadiest areas of the Lake Ontario shore in March. At three o'clock in the morning, I walked briskly to the parking lot of the newly erected Culkin Hall of SUNY Oswego, passing the gigantic pine bonsai, forcefully trained through the years to lean southeast by the horizontal, brutal winds from the lake. The cold and the bleakness shook me.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">Four fellow students and I slithered onto the wide leather bench seats of the waiting barge of a Cadillac, shiny red and white, with shark fins at the tail. Instead of heading for a two-week spring break beach romp, our destination was Columbia, South Carolina, and the 1968 Voter Registration Drive. I threw my guitar and the Joan Baez song book into the trunk with my duffel bag.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">All of us were exhausted from our studies and the Vietnam war protests, but looked forward to another equally trying experience. We had said goodbye to our friend William, who, to his great disappointment, could not participate in the trip south. William preferred his given name, not Bill or Billy, Will or Willie, in order to add a shred of dignity to his persona, having left a part of his brain, his left leg, and a part of the right one in the jungles of Vietnam. He was William from New Hampshire, a sophisticated son of a college professor, forever struggling to keep his pride and his self-awareness upright from the depths of his wheelchair.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">With the words of Martin Luther King's 1963 “dream speech” as our inspiration, and yoked to the naïve notion that the world would quickly be a wiser, kinder, and gentler place as a result of our interest and work, we set out toward south on Interstate 81.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">As soon as we crossed the Mason-Dixon Line and stopped for breakfast, I realized that I had lost my ability to understand English. “Y'all want gray-its?” The waitress was addressing me. I prepared myself for an unrelenting two week-long headache on my temples.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">I watched the scenery change from bare trees and familiar vegetation to palms and lush shrubbery of full summer, as we shed our cold season gear and lowered the top of the convertible. I dug out my guitar, and we arrived in Columbia harmonizing to “Blowing in the Wind”.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">Columbia and Benedict College welcomed us with sweet tea and dormitory assignments, both equally surprising and perfumed for me. My Shalimar roommate for the days ahead was a friendly black girl from Atlanta, Georgia, whose Southern drawl was like purple taffeta and made the furrows on my forehead even deeper and the headache stronger. Each night, after spreading Johnson & Johnson's pink baby lotion on her knees, she knelt on the floor by her bed, and never forgot to include me in her evening prayers, during which I looked for interesting details in the room on which to direct my own concentrated devotion. I decided on the poster depicting the large crowd at the Washington Mall, where Dr. King was giving his “I have a Dream” speech with an audience of estimated 250,000 people riveted to his words. Attempting to count the thousands of black and white heads of straight pins took my full attention.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">The next morning, paired with Walter, a blond Viking from Minnesota, I set out on the task of registering blacks to cast their votes in the elections to come. More than most, as people who had barely seen the sun for months, we stood out in the all black neighborhoods with our ashen white faces. We knocked on doors of various styles and sizes, or on door frames, should the door no longer exist due to rot and neglect. On the steps of large estates, we pressed our finger on fancy modern door bells that played the tune of Big Ben, an incongruous sound in the muggy American South.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">The reception of our intent was varied. We spoke with gray, old couples sitting in rocking chairs on front porches. Their movements were slow from servitude, the men wearing hats obviously discarded from more formal use and the women's hair held in place by a scarf tied into an Aunt Jemima knot above the forehead. It quickly became clear that their hesitancy in signing their names on the registration sheet was not fear of the unknown or a question of lack of understanding. It was simply the obvious shame of not knowing how to read and write; an expected, yet shocking phenomenon to us. We assured them that an X was enough, as long as we could enter their names beside their “signature.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">The younger people were less trusting, giving us flat “I gave at the office” type answers, familiar to us from the North. Some slammed the door shut, some questioned us, wanting to see proof of identification, and some, visibly under the influence and unable to stand without holding onto the wall, resorted to extortion in order to part with their signature. For three cigarettes from the Viking's pack, a deal was closed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">Due to missing doors, the inside of some of the houses was visible. On the dirt floor, pounded hard by years of living, the only piece of furniture was a bare mattress showing signs of the various human liquids and substances. From the pane-less window on the back wall of the shack, you could see the white pillared mansion, whose Winchester door chimes had surprised us. The shack and the mansion shared a hedge row in the back separating the properties.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">At the end of each night, I called William to keep him as part of the task in spirit. Invariably, he swore at his wheelchair, and I put the blame of his inability to be with us on the dirt streets of the Columbia slums. He gave us advice over the phone: “Don't do stupid!” “Trust, but don't be too trusting”, and, “For God's sake, don't act like you are an innocent!” “Really!” I said and slammed the phone in his ear.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">After the fourth day, the Viking and I had a long list of signatures and marks on our sheet. I dragged my tired body to the inside of the Benedict College walls, kicked off my tasseled loafers, and found a quiet spot under an old larch. Some of the tree was dead without needles. Skeleton branches were left with small cones in an organized design. I lay down under the dead branches, and a look up revealed a lacy mantilla, dark brown and delicate, quiet and calming. I fell asleep. When I woke up, I picked up my shoes, and saw that they were full of red sand from the unpaved streets, and worn out to the point where new ones were needed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">After dinner, I ventured outside of the college wall: red brick, 12 feet high, separating the city and its people from the students and the visiting “rebels.” Was this wall there to protect the black students from the outside world or was it built to keep the city folk safe from the black students? I saw three black young men standing by the entrance gate. They had Afros and the necessary plastic picks in their back pockets of their jeans. I inquired as to the nearest shoe store. They informed me that the closest one was downtown, not within a walking distance, but that they would be happy to take me there. One of them ran to get his 1965 Mustang. Once in a shoe store with the owner of the Mustang, I waited to be recognized. To the Mustang owner, it became clear that this was a 'no win'-situation, and he suggested another shoe store. In front of “Jim's Shoes,” he said, “You go in alone, we'll stay here.” I got new loafers with prompt and solicitous service.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">That night, I called William to tell him about my adventures of the day. “What??!!,” he said, “you got in a car with three black men! I told you not to be stupid! They probably were townies, not even students. Don't you remember what happened in Mississippi in '64?” I did remember, but felt invincible. “You are not my father or in any way responsible for me, and, furthermore, I am alive, aren't I?” William felt his failure as my guardian angel.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">It was Sunday. I had received an invitation to attend a Baptist church service of a Benedict College student's home church. His father was the minister and his mother the choir director. As the only white person in the sanctuary, I managed to stay almost invisible under my borrowed wide-brimmed hat, until I was introduced to the congregation. I listened intently to the sermon and the musical performances. I attempted to participate in the singing of hymns. My simple, clear lined voice was left far behind by the rich, undulating sounds of the church family, every member of which appeared to be a trained singer. I stopped trying, and concentrated on enjoying the smooth, soft, yet powerful profession of their love for God through music. At the coffee hour, I smiled my best Northern smile, not understanding most of what was said to me. The throbbing on my temples intensified.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">“You went to church!” William exclaimed that night in disbelief. I told him it probably helped me in controlling myself during our phone calls.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">Tuesday, our last day, was hot and humid from early morning on. It was difficult to breathe and the clothes stuck to your wet skin. The Viking and I had a busy and successful morning. Around lunch time, we were standing on a porch of a small, modest house, when a large black car drove slowly down the street passing us. The car, reminiscent of a Mafia vehicle, turned around and stopped a few feet from us. There were four white men in the car, all wearing suits and fedoras. Their spokesman called out to us, asking what we were selling. I let the Viking take the lead, as my legs had started to feel weak and wobbly. Finding out that we were not salesmen per se, the man in black told us: “You get out of here, if you know what's good for you!” I was ready to sprint up the hill, into the Cadillac and head for New York. The Viking grabbed my arm and whispered for me to be cool. After considering the threat, we decided to leave the area, and casually sauntered up the street, holding back a desire to run. My heart was a woodpecker trying desperately to get out of my chest cavity. We walked painfully slowly with pretend ease following a high boxwood hedge row ending abruptly at the edge of the block. When we turned the corner, we saw a policeman standing by his motorcycle, adjusting his helmet. His shiny black boots competed with the black fuel tank for the strongest sparkle. The Viking and I let out a long breath, our shoulders adjusted themselves downward, and we looked at each other with a mutually understood glance of relief. The policeman listened to our story, while chewing gum like Police Chief Gillespie in “In the Heat of the Night,” after which he said, “You heard them. If you know what's good for you.” We understood the big picture.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">Wednesday morning, the Cadillac started toward north. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep. I awoke under a canopy of cherry blossoms, a slightly fragrant sea of pink, seen through rose colored glasses. A surprise-stop for the foreigner to see the nation's capital on the way home. When I lifted my head, I saw the Lincoln Memorial reflected in the lagoon, a post card-view with heavy history. Like some slaves of Lincoln's time, I had escaped from the uncomfortable, the unbelievable, the diseased.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">William and I had coffee in the dining hall on Thursday morning. I helped him roll the wheelchair through mud in the areas on campus where construction was going on. In his head, he was designing ways in which he could be part of the next trip south in some fashion. He had plans for adaptive equipment allowing for smooth movement on dirt roads, plans to rent a wheelchair van with hand controls, ways in which to disguise his missing body parts. I remained quiet.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">I felt a need to go for a long walk. I walked downtown and back and around the campus, ending at the shore among rocks of various earthy colors. They were smooth and rounded as eggs due to the wear by the sharp waves, movement of one stone against another for centuries. Solid, yet shifting with the strength of the water, never alone, but in a mass like a loyal group of believers for a cause. Sitting motionless made me shiver.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">In the evening, after a warm shower and a cup of hot coffee in my hand, I turned on the TV in the lounge of my floor of the dormitory. I was alone, as others were not expected to return until after the weekend. There was commotion. Evidently, there was a news item of importance being covered. A panorama of a motel room balcony swept the screen. I heard “Died at 7:05 pm”. I turned up the volume. Martin Luther King Jr. had been fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">Hopes and dreams shattered. Progress stalled.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">I took the guitar out of the case and played it in a robotic fashion. The fingers of my left hand stuck together. Lyrics stuck in my throat.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;">I moved to the window. I stared at the burning red sunset over Lake Ontario from the tenth floor, over the still bare tree tops. Hopelessness and emptiness shook me. The world was not going to be a better, kinder, gentler place after all. Not yet.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="Standard" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-47558747042698230872020-10-04T05:52:00.002-07:002020-10-08T03:51:26.943-07:00A MODEST PROPOSAL by Dr. Oivind E. Jensen<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">We have all been there. I was there recently. “Strip down to your skivvies and put this on.” Sound familiar? Of course, we are talking about the <i>hospital gown, </i>a<i> </i>garment that needs some serious updating. Inspired by the toga, it was worn by Etruscans, ancient Romans and occupants of “Animal House.” The “one size fits none” concept provides haberdasheries with the benefit of a limited inventory. The design plateaued circa 1760 AD and has not changed appreciably since, but occupies a persistent niche in the world of high couture in Key West, FL and Provincetown, MA, where it is considered party wear.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">In the tiny cubicle with a gurney and a flimsy curtain to protect my privacy, I listened to conversations between fellow victims and hospital staff while I struggled with the daunting task of dressing. Unless you are domestically gifted and regularly don an apron around the house, the garment does not cooperate in a way that renders confidence and reassurance. <i>I am here because I am sick, not to show off my knot-tying-behind-my-back prowess, </i>I thought to myself in frustration. Next, which ones of the strings to engage? The pair south of the neck hairline or the ones down by the meatier parts? Both? Having a nurse help me complete the procedure would mean defeat, so I continued to fumble until I had done what I thought was expected.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">What we need is PEP (Patient Empowerment Program) in the Health Care bill. Give us some control. We are in a vulnerable position as it is. Let us start with colors. Replace the drab bleached white with blue for boys, pink for girls, and plaid for golfers. At about $7.50 per gown, it is a no-brainer. Why not include a higher cost option with designer gowns from Gucci and St. Laurent for celebrity patients? Personalized embroidered names could be included for a few dollars with computerized sewing machines. Put a little imagination into the neck styling. Turtleneck or halter top may be too radical, but we would like to choose between V-neck, scoop, or square neck as an alternative to the T-shirt model. And finally, scrap the ties and go Velcro! Even Nike has seen the reasonableness of this.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">So, write to your representatives and demand PEP in the Health Care legislation and make us all feel better!<o:p></o:p></span></p>C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-90554187716483403242020-05-02T13:33:00.001-07:002020-05-02T13:33:05.185-07:00CORONA by Carol Creswell<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
I studied the sky<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
I shielded from the sunlight<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Cleanse the pestilence God<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Make us whole again<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Infuse me<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Bless the Earth<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
As you gave us the rainbow<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Send us the sunrays of cure<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-10640950398273388542020-05-02T13:31:00.002-07:002020-05-02T13:31:21.064-07:00Gray Sky by Terry Le Feber<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
I looked at the sky<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
It turned gray<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Filling me with sadness<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Rain began to fall<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
I thought<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
That’s not rain<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
It’s God’s tears<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Tears to cleanse the earth<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
To make everything right<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
God’s tears stopped<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
A rainbow appeared<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
And all was right, again<o:p></o:p></div>
C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-41563401334301839002020-03-07T10:45:00.001-08:002020-03-07T10:46:30.805-08:00WATER by Carol Creswell<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt;">Water.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bubbling, trickling, sprinkling,
deluging, spraying, life giving water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Waterfalls in Hawaii,
blissfully remembered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Azure blue lakes with
waves lapping the shores in Michigan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thundering, tumbling
rollers in the Atlantic Ocean in Florida.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Flavor and fragrance
of summer remembered from my teen years on the shore of Saginaw Bay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dad, in the beach
fire’s light, swigging whiskey and digging with an oar, shouting and singing, “YO
OH HEAVE HO, vodka!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He was laughing and
calling it, “The Song of the Volga Boat man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Oh those golden days
in a rented cabin with sis and mom and dad. He daily drove many miles, commuting
to work each day back in the city, just so his family could have a vacation on
the beach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1Oo2EiT4kXTZ3z40A2v4LHbfzkkMU7e_rGX2sI0953yFabaYKrd5fw2i9nYrpjjYADzANQzk_YlVA5iQGOO45t7yfVgW6dZW58HKVLbUCIGcPB147I70Uva6NTe-Z5CECdke0FpZNski/s1600/CarolC-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1Oo2EiT4kXTZ3z40A2v4LHbfzkkMU7e_rGX2sI0953yFabaYKrd5fw2i9nYrpjjYADzANQzk_YlVA5iQGOO45t7yfVgW6dZW58HKVLbUCIGcPB147I70Uva6NTe-Z5CECdke0FpZNski/s1600/CarolC-photo.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So many beach fires,
so many picnics, so many boat rides and fishing and swimming in the cold
bracing waters or sunning and broiling on the dock as the gulls wheeled and the
jet skis whined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Memories sustain me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-8180254823095197682019-11-19T10:23:00.000-08:002019-11-19T15:12:01.643-08:00Coming to America by Maija DeRoche<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the first twenty years of my life, I lived in Finland, a country of night-less nights in the summer and Northern lights in the winter, a country that offered countless riches and comforts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the 1950's, a television set came into our house, and with it, <i>Leave it to Beaver</i>. I was fascinated with Beaver's, or Theodore's, mother, June Cleaver, who was ever-so-elegant with her hair carefully coiffed . She was wearing high heels and pearls while vacuuming her house and had a slightly raspy quality to her voice, while speaking a language that flowed smoothly and effortlessly. June Cleaver lived in a white clapboard house with a picket fence surrounded by flowers. She was home all day while her husband went to work. As a 10-year old, I decided that this was the life for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I set a goal for myself to become a high school English teacher in Finland. Through the years, I became efficient in translating text describing the installation of the Transatlantic underwater cable, or the spreading of the Reformation through Scandinavia. However, I could not give simple directions in English to a lost tourist looking for the nearest restroom. A trip of language immersion was necessary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the first Monday of September, 1967, I boarded a Pan Am flight to New York. After eight hours of sitting in heavy cigarette smoke, I went through customs and handed to the officials a sealed envelope with my confidential medical information, necessary for a year's study in the United States. The Customs officials looked at each other quizzically and then at me. I had put the envelope next to my passport in my purse, and left another sealed envelope with my electric bill for my cousin to take care of. Needless to say, as there was puzzlement at JFK , there was equal bewilderment at the electric company of my home town, when my cousin attempted to pay my bill with the miniature X-ray of my lungs. After a visit to the airport infirmary, a new, very large X-ray under my arm, and missed connections to Upstate New York, I was admitted into the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I slowly settled into dormitory life. After the death of my parents, I had held an auction, sold my house, and become an adult too quickly. The antics of the freshman students away from home for the first time were surprising entertainment for me. One day after Anthropology 101, a classmate said to me: “I need to hurry, cuz I have to watch <i>All My Children</i>.” I was impressed that she had children and found time and energy to be a college student. I later learned about soap operas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">American friendliness impressed me from the beginning. I was often invited to various events and get-togethers. One such invitation was to a person's house where we were to talk about squash. I prepared myself by studying the many varieties of winter and summer squash, only to find out that the topic under discussion was a sport.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At first, I struggled to answer questions such as, “How are you?' I quickly realized that this question is synonymous with hello. People did not really want to know about the boils on my butt, caused by the change in water, or the Sitz baths I had to endure for their cure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It took a while to master the skill of small talk, a foreign phenomenon to a Finn. Idioms were a great challenge as well. I learned that it was not appropriate to inquire about the cost when some one had “bought the farm.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I adjusted to the culture, the language, and the customs, I started to feel quite American and more comfortable on this side of the Atlantic and decided to stay, got married, and had a family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I never became an English teacher. I did want a career where I could be a help to someone. As I had decided early on that mathematics and science were too defined in their answers and chosen not to like them, my path to a medical career was blocked. Instead, I became a Speech and Language Pathologist, a pseudo medical field, where I was not at risk of killing anyone, even by mistake. My exposure to speech pathology taught me that June Cleaver's soft, yet raspy voice was, most likely, a result of vocal abuse, as pleasant as it sounded to me as a child.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although I do not have June's picket fence, and the deer are eating all my flowers, I will now go home, slip into my high heels, clasp on my pearls, and vacuum my house.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-35034062846389878602019-10-05T05:06:00.001-07:002019-10-05T05:06:23.959-07:00Marnie by Linda McIlveen<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">When I first met you, you looked me in the
eye, when the others didn’t. I saw it as a sign of love. You meant it as a
challenge. I took you home thinking how wonderful it would be. We would play
with your toys, take walks outside, you'd give me sweet puppy kisses, and when
we were tired there would be snuggling on the couch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Reality soon bit me in the face. What few
toys you actually bothered to play with you destroyed in minutes. The bones
that were supposed to ease you through the teething stage were spit out and
abandoned. Fingers, wrists, and arms were much more satisfying to chomp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You flunked out of puppy class. You almost
bit your vet technician, who recommended I give you up as you obviously had
issues. An experienced trainer told me, I would probably never be able to pet
you, and I should just keep you as a guard dog. That’s not what I wanted for
either of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Exhausted, covered in black and blue marks,
and feeling defeated, I almost did what I swore I would never do, give up one
of my dogs to a rescue. My sister didn’t want to let you go. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">You had managed to
work your way into her heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When we reached the place of the surrender, the
volunteers were all playing with you, and saying they wanted to be your foster.
They even offered to trade me a well trained calm adult, but then I looked at
you, and all I could think is I don’t want another dog. You are my dog. The
people at the rescue understood, and made arrangements for us to work with a
certified master trainer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She admitted a
few times that you were the most stubborn puppy she'd ever worked with but she
said, if we wouldn’t give up she wouldn’t either. It wasn’t easy but we turned
the corner. I am not saying there weren’t incidents after, like the time you
pulled me down and I broke my finger because you wanted to chase the deer, but
they became fewer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You quit using me as your chew toy. We
invented our own form of dancing. It mainly consisted of you holding onto a
bully stick while I dragged you around the room but, hey, it was to music. I
will always remember how you’d stop whatever you were doing and go and get that
stick whenever music started to play. We finally started to share naps and you
rested your head on my knee. That was the most comforting feeling in the world
to me. The same vet technician that had declared you vicious even said she
couldn’t believe you were the same dog, as you were now a big sweetheart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It was perfect but then the world shattered. Cancer
entered your body, and, like the stubborn brave girl you always were, you tried
to fight it, but it was a battle you could not win. So I made the decision it
was time to say goodbye. This time there was no changing what had to be done
even though every part of me wished there was. I let you go to the place where
there is no more pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">There will be other dogs, but not to take
your place. No other could. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t trade
a minute we had together despite the early struggles. I also meant my last
words to you as you closed your eyes for the final time. I will love you
forever, Marnie. Thank you for looking me in the eye that day to let me know
you were my dog, and you always will be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-60875657608668892562019-09-04T08:14:00.000-07:002019-09-05T06:09:06.268-07:00Listen to Your Seashells by Gavin Spanegal<span style="text-align: center;">I wonder what it’s like to be a</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fish out in the ocean…<o:p></o:p></div>
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A stingray, stingrayin’ out at sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You must never get thirsty for water.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At least that’s one good thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I guess it’s on my mind because<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know that there is a place for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I guess I miss grace.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Gracefulness runs rampant<o:p></o:p></div>
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Out in the lakes and rivers and whereever danger lurks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Elegant and creative movements.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Scaled walls caving in on other<o:p></o:p></div>
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Scaled walls and nut shells that probably<o:p></o:p></div>
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Taste like cinnamon once you get in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Your menu must change…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Depending on where you are<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m getting into it now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Laying down wripples of green<o:p></o:p></div>
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As we swirve into the deep.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When we listen to our seashells.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’re returning to sounds<o:p></o:p></div>
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All our ancestors heard the same way<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not to many things we hear now-a-daze<o:p></o:p></div>
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Can make that statement.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fishing for an answer to <o:p></o:p></div>
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Oceans old question of<o:p></o:p></div>
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“How do you figure it out?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-63622151933331935292019-08-04T05:36:00.000-07:002019-08-04T05:36:19.241-07:00THE OAK TREE By Carol Creswell<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">When light’ning struck the oak tree and the trunk was torn to shreds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A metaphor: tenacity and perseverance true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If that small tree can cling to life then maybe I can, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-21278702826913362072019-05-18T13:35:00.001-07:002019-05-18T13:35:54.547-07:00MEMORIAL DAY By Carol Creswell<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">A stirring tribute fills the
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The sky is blueness
everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The marchers snap a crisp
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And all the bandsmen
resolute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The cheering crowds, the
fire truck’s din<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Precedes the cruising mayor’s
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on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-69373292110402750082019-05-15T13:42:00.000-07:002019-05-15T13:42:34.252-07:00First Jump by Dennis Lutz<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">I felt the plane
banking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be my turn soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat on my rump, no longer looking out the
window, trying to calm down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A blast of
cold air bit into my hands and face as the passenger door opened once
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was shivering, and the cold
only made things worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The engine
vibration dulled and I knew it was time. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">I wanted to just
go back with the plane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pride and
embarrassment overcame terror as I made my way forward, skidding on my
rump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The jump master was grinning as he
checked me out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must have had that
look that he had seen many times before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He shouted words of encouragement, but I barely heard.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">When told I sat
in the door, and for a moment my fear passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Outside the entire state of Ohio was unfolding before my eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Postage stamp fields, forests with
boundaries, I had only been in a plane once before in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had never seen this sight or flown this
high, nor sat in an open door with my feet dangling at 3000 feet. If it hadn’t
been for the wind and the fear, I might have found it peaceful.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">The jump master
yelled and I bolted out onto the wing strut, almost going over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My massive 2 hours of instruction had briefly
mentioned to me to go out strong to overcome any wind resistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Definitely did that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wind was now pushing my whole body and
all thoughts of going back with the plane were gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From here there was only one way back. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">I collected
myself and looked at the jump master, who was signaling me to jump, so I just
let go of the strut. No real jump, no big arch for this jumper, no pulling the
fake rip cord, actually, no form at all, just falling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No deep thoughts, just terror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I was falling, and a part of my brain
was telling me to do something, but the rest of my body was not
responding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Four seconds later
with a lurch and a snap the canopy popped open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One second pure terror, the next pure relief!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No real wind, no engine noise, just me and
the view and the parachute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All things
became right with the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like a
god I descended toward the ground.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">My god-like
feelings did not last that long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things
got bigger and the forests lost their definitions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It occurred to me that I was going to have to
once again put that 2 hours of intensive training to work and land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nervousness began creeping back, but at this
stage, there were no thoughts of turning back. There were no choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked to the ground and saw that I was
already traveling past the drop zone target.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now I began to actually attempt to steer the chute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What had been my serene, godlike descent was
turning into a rush to meet up with destiny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the last minute I turned into the wind and executed a parachute
landing fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not text book, but
effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing broken, and I only
missed the target by a quarter mile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Easy walk back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time for a
celebration.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Copyright © 2019,
Dennis E. Lutz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Material may be
reprinted or distributed only with author permission.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-42606047631907654442019-01-14T13:33:00.001-08:002019-01-14T13:33:20.814-08:00Bundles of Joy by Judy Vandevelde<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Out
of nowhere into our arms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
tiny bundle of joy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
bit of heaven in human form<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
precious baby boy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Beautiful
tiny baby hands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Clenching
at our heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Little
fingers and sturdy feet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ready
for life at the start<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bluish
eyes and twinkling smile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hair
that’s touched by the sun<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
watch him as he learns and grows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
love for everyone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
tiny sister comes along<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
sweet as a baby can be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
loves to share a rhyme or two<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">While
sitting on your knee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
jumps and claps her hands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There’s
kindness in that little face<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
before you she stands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
give her a kiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
blinks her eyes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Will
you get my teddy bear, please?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s
read the rhyme about the Five Little Monkeys<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
life has changed so much<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Watching
my grandchildren grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">They
sing and play and run around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gifts
of love, I know<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-80122754137434886622019-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:002019-01-15T04:49:26.783-08:00Merry Christmas by Charlie Plyter<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
lady pulling the sled was my mother. Walking with her on that cold 24th of
December in 1942 was my Aunt Helen. My mother was six months pregnant and my
aunt was five months along. The streets of Newark were passable but snow
covered, so the sisters carefully chose their way avoiding ice and the
occasional drift. My father was at work at a defense plant in Rochester and my
sisters and I were at Grandma’s. My aunt’s husband was in the Marines and
stationed somewhere in Africa, according to what he wrote. He had devised a
scheme to keep her aware of his whereabouts that somehow escaped the scrutiny
and the scissors of the censors. He was in service to his country, but the
sisters were on a mission of their own; a Christmas mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
had a Christmas tree but Aunt Helen did not, so they were off to get her one.
They had a $1.10 between them, a tidy sum during the Depression days of WWII.
Word had it that a farmer was selling off his inventory of trees in the parking
lot of Ferrell’s Garage for as little as $1.00. It was two o’clock and, if they
hurried, they might find one and get home before dark. The parking lot of
Schofield’s Diner was a good place to take a breather. The aroma of coffee and
fried onions filled the air and as one they said, “Wish we had money for coffee
and a snack.” They did not. The dollar was for the tree and the dime, well
maybe it could be used for a cup of coffee each on the way back. It was cold
standing there so they moved on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
three remaining blocks went quickly as the brisk temperatures spurred them on.
As they approached Ferrell’s they were shocked to see a sign that read, “Trees
$3.00”. It stopped them in their tracks. There was a dilapidated truck parked
near the remaining trees and inside was a man asleep at the wheel, as it were.
He had a distinguished looking white beard and moustache. My aunt knocked on
the window and he stirred, smiled and opened the door of the truck. “Ladies,
you are just in time. I was just about to load up and go home. Santa’s coming
tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Playing
on his kind looks my mother explained about her sister having a husband in the
Marines, that they had walked more than a mile thinking the trees were going to
be a dollar. He scratched the side of his jaw and, with a thoughtful look on
his face, announced, “Special price of one dollar for the wife of a Marine.
Pick one out.” They did not need any further urging and in a minute or two and had
one picked out. They gave him the dollar, he offered to tie the tree to the
sled and my mother gratefully accepted. He put the dollar into the pocket of
his overalls and from the cab of his truck produced some red twine. They
shivered as he made a production of tying the tree to the sled, weaving the
twine in and out of the branches. It seemed like an excess of caution, but
finally he turned and said with a smile. “Better safe than sorry. Looks like I
got you started on the decorations what with the red twine. Looks good with the
green.” They thanked him for his generosity and thoughtfulness and started
home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Once
again Schofield’s Diner was a good halfway point and a good place to take a
rest. My aunt produced the dime she had left, held it out. Their eyes met and
with a nod it was agreed they would spend it on coffee. Mother pulled the sled
close to the door of the diner so they could keep an eye on it while they drank
the coffee. “Sure wish we had money for a doughnut,” Mom remarked and Aunt
Helen agreed. The door of the diner opened and out came Doc Johnson. “Florence,
you better get home and get that tree decorated because Santa is on his way,
but I see you have already started.” They looked where he pointed and there in
the limbs secured by the red twine was a $5.00 bill. As they enjoyed the coffee
and doughnuts they agreed that Santa had already arrived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206144334293812490.post-18216384927061636772018-12-11T06:00:00.000-08:002018-12-11T06:00:10.446-08:00CONTEMPLATION By Terry Le Feber<div class="MsoNormal">
“What ya doing, Bud?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Just sitting. Enjoying the universe. Staring at the stars.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah. Beautiful aren’t they?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone once said, ‘there are billions and
billions of them’.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yep. Some dude named Carl Sagan, if memory serves.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Right. And like them, he too is long gone.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Got that right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Really long, long gone.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But, you and I and the rest of us are still here.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes. Not like them.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, maybe Yes. Maybe No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They’re still out there. Somewhere amongst the billions and billions.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And, eventually they’ll come back and try again.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Think they’ll ever get it right?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You mean like us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe. They keep trying. Gotta give them that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe next time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, we are here. And, they aren’t. And…we are still in
charge…for the time being.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah. Strange how History repeats itself every 50 million
years or so.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yep. Well, it’s past my bedtime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gotta go. Goodnight, Bud.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Grasshopper rolled over on its side and dimmed his 1,000
eyes to sleep as his friend, the Wasp, flew back to his nest to rest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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C. T. Collierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056021289925210090noreply@blogger.com0