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
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
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
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
Friday, January 6, 2012
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
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
Thursday, December 29, 2011
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
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
Thursday, December 22, 2011
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
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
Monday, November 28, 2011
Collected Words from Writers of the Southern Coast
The book, Collected Words from Writers of the Southern Coast, showcases short stories, essays and poems selected as winners in the 2011 Baldwin Writers Group Contest. My essay, Dimes and Quarters took 3rd place in the essay contest.
December 17, from 10 to noon, authors will be at the Daphne Library (AL) for a reading/signing. The public is welcome to attend. Hope to see you there.
December 17, from 10 to noon, authors will be at the Daphne Library (AL) for a reading/signing. The public is welcome to attend. Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Essay published
I'm excited because my essay Dimes and Quarters has just been published in Collected Words from Writers of the Southern Coast. It's available on Amazon.com.
Just wanted to share the good news.
Just wanted to share the good news.
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