Memorable Moments

When I have an interesting, unusual, or frustrating experience, I try to benefit from it by working the incident into a book. I had one yesterday.

It was a very foggy morning. On my thirty mile drive to school, in an effort to clear the back window my car, I somehow hit a button that turned on my flashers. Cars passing by were holding their hands out of the windows, flapping fingers together to let me know I was signaling an emergency that I obviously didn't have.
They didn't know it, but I did have an emergency, in a way. Even though I've had this car a year, I didn't know how to turn off those flashers.
By then, I was on the interstate going sixty-five miles an hour. If I pulled off, it would delay me and I'd be late. I had a test scheduled and I'd threatened my students with penalties if they were late; I couldn't be late myself.
So I kept speeding along, pushing every button I could find, thinking the one I needed had to be connected to the light switches or somewhere in that area. It didn't work. I wondered if I'd turned off my lights when they should be on in a fog. I even sprayed the windshield a few times and nothing happened, except it cleared the fog off of it.
I tried shutting off the motor at a red light but those determined little buggers didn't stop blinking.
What to do? I decided the answer was "Nothing." I had to just let other drivers think I had an emergency or that I was just a bit kooky.
When I reached my destination and parked my car, I solicited the help of the first person I saw. In minutes, the young man reached inside, found a triangular red button in the center of the dash and pushed it. Voila! The annoying flashing stopped.
I bet I'll never forget where that button's located.

I don't know where I'll use this yet. But look for it in one of my books someday.

Books by Authors

I'm pleased that some editors saw TO CATCH A FISH in Octavia's Book Store in New Orleans and asked me if I'd like to submit something for an upcoming issue. The theme is centered on New Orleans stories.
I sent them a short essay about a New Orleans experience and a poem about The Big Easy. I hope they find a spot for them and I'll post it if they do.

Life Is; Life Isn't

Life Is; Life Isn't:
Memories of Mardi Gras

"You don't bury a husband
without losing weight,"
she said.
Her long dress touching the
floor hung a little looser
Than it had last year when he
was at her side.

"I have a young son here who's
got me out of breath
from dancing."
She sighed and touched a wet
spot on the corner of
her eye.

It's Mardi Gras in Mobile,
Alabama,
And the ghosts of the past
Still haunt the halls of the
Civic Center.

We see; we feel; we know
they never die.

Mary S. Palmer
First printed in Mobile Bay Monthly

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Way

When cupid's arrow
Hit its mark long ago,
One couple felt the piercing,
And love endured.

He doesn't see
That her hair is thinning,
Because he loves her.

Nor does he notice
The wrinkles around her lips,
Because he loves her.

Through fifty years of marriage,
He sees none of her faults,
Because he loves her.

She doesn't see
His stomach pouch,
Because she loves him.

Nor does she find
His unshaven face distasteful,
Because she loves him.

Through fifty years of marriage,
She overlooks his faults,
Because she loves him.

Like Jesus, both look beyond
The surface, to the soul,
Because they love each other.

Mary S. Palmer
1/25/12

Occasional Poem

REL and MLK

Two men lived a century apart.
One was white; one was black.
Very different, they had uncommon things in common.

Robert E. Lee was a southern aristocrat
Who fought on the side of the south
In the uncivil Civil War.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an advocate
Of civil rights who pushed his cause
To the death--his own.

They lived a century apart
In worlds that vastly changed,
And made things more the same.

Their names had similarities.
The letter "L" appeared in both:
Lee's last name and King's middle one.

Both lived life with a passion,
Fighting for a cause, as leaders
Who refused to succumb.

Separated in ideals at the time,
They are now both honored
On the same day--January 17.

Mary S. Palmer
1/6/12

2012

A New Year - 2012

Though the economy is low
And things are moving slow,
Be thankful if you are
Not sleeping in the snow.

And if you have some food to eat,
Plus if you're feeling not too beat,
Then you can rise
Above defeat.

If your family is nearby
Just let your spirits touch the sky
And keep on plugging
With each try.

When things are at their lowest low
There's only one place they can go
That's up, not down,
Though pacing's slow.

So let this new year be for you
All things you do wish to come true.
In 2012 a change can come
Pray God will bless us as we're due.

MSP
12/29/11

Christmas Poem

THE CHRISTMAS VISITOR

There are times in our lives
When we must take chances,
On people and on things.

A man came to my house
On Christmas Eve,
Asking to rake the leaves
To buy gifts for his children.

I offered a donation,
Handing him a ten-dollar bill.
"I'd rather work," he said,
Taking up his rake and
Moving sycamore leaves
To the center of the yard.

Who is this man? I wondered.
The beggar in the Bible
Came to mind, but I dismissed it.

When he was done,
I gave him half of my homemade fruitcake.
Eyes focused on the ground, he said,
"I hope the work I've done
Equals the love you've shown to me.

My "Merry Christmas" was a greeting
To the Jesus in all men.

Mary S. Palmer
12/22/11

Upcoming ebooks - Musa Publishing:
Time Will Tell (science fiction) March 9, 2012
To Catch a Fish (novel) April 9, 2012