Writers Corner for December 30, 2011

One early summer's morn you slipped away; I was 18.

How your lean form shrunk to a mere shadow

Your last night we stood 'round your bed

murmuring in hushed tones - careful not to disturb eternity.

I sat down beside your frailness, gently taking that once strong hand in mine

and whispered, "Number 71, Daddy."

And Omar's Rubiyat flowed from your deep well mind in barely a whisper:

"The moving finger writes; and having writ,

Moves on; nor all your Piety nor wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a line

Nor all Your Tears wash out a word of it."

These were your last words to me.

When I was your little Gail-la-la, I'd perch upon the hamper

And watch you shave.

You'd inquire playfully, "And what's on your program today, honey?"

I'd chant on about tree house, treasure hunts and marbles

Canoeing down the river with Mary.

You'd listen in your three piece suit, gold pocket watch tucked in.

Book in hand, in your winged back chair

You sat with Shakespeare and Caesar

Marcus Aurelius and Gibbon.

These friends you knew; what mattered flesh and bones.

You knew no bounds of starched bed sheets.

That early summer's morning long ago your hand slipped from mine

Gliding through the veil into the welcome sphere of old friends.

- Gail Sherman

•••

Teenager's Resolutions For 2012

1. I will make every effort upon entering my home to open the refrigerator door before the front door closes.

2. I will always answer the phone before it rings twice.

3. I will not let homework confuse me while I am texting, watching TV, etc.

4. I will make every effort to leave enough space on the floor of my room to accommodate one vacuum cleaner.

5. I will refrain from using the excuse that the rotting food in my room is left there for Aliens and Angels.

6. I will endeavor to be patient with my elders when instructing them on the proper use of DVDs, cell phones, PCs and other electronic equipment.

7. I will always keep a dictionary placed at a safe distance.

8. I will store these resolutions in a folder on my PC for periodic assessment and refreshing. (Yeah, right)

- Marvin Tyacke, Post Falls

•••

NATURE'S FABRIC

Above the glistening fabric land

The midnight sky rides hand-in-hand

With nature, singing loud and long

It's frigid, snowy winter song.

I'm lost in wonder as I gaze

Across the moonlit starry haze,

As crystal snowflakes twist and fall

Reminds me once again how small

Am I in this grand scheme,

How lucky that I dare to dream

To touch the midnight sky firsthand,

As winter glistens on the land.

- Linda Nelson, Coeur d'Alene

•••

The Press Writers Corner features original, creative writing submitted by our readers.

Send your Writers Corner submissions to Maureen Dolan, [email protected].

We prefer email submissions, and we ask that you limit the length of your stories and poems. Please include your hometown with your submission.

You can send hard-copies by mail to Maureen Dolan at The Press, 201 Second St., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.