usadeepsouth.comby Carolyn Bertram-Arnold
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Dogwood Winter
Neighbor kids make snowmen, snow angels,
and build forts for snowball fights
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outside my window.
Then they warm inside my kitchen
in sock feet, their red cheeks exposed
beneath stocking-capped heads.
Mittened hands cradle cups of homemade
hot chocolate with mini marshmallows.
Instead, a pink plastic flamingo roosts
on the highest branch of a bent, spotted
sycamore reminding me of a feeding giraffe,
the result of Saturday night's ferocious windstorm.
The neighborhood is quiet now--the kids
in college or working at McDonald's.
The closest thing to a snowflake is
a lone dogwood spilling its white beauty
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on the hillside.
I raise my steaming cup
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of instant cocoa
in remembrance.
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_______________________
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Cotton Candy Fantasies
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"Mama, I want cotton candy--NOW!"
My mouth waters for the pink and purple clouds,
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the texture of insulation.
The boy's repeated cries emphasize my longing,
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"I want cotton candy--NOW!"
My steps fast forward in the direction
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of the concession booth.
My mind rewinds to the summer carnivals:
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A greasy old man shouts, "Step right up
and see the bearded lady. Watch the man
swallow a ball of fire...See the two-headed
baby..."
Fast spinning rides make me dizzy.
Mom warned me not to waste money on games.
I take a chance on just one--the ring toss.
I know I can win a giant bottle of Coke
when I put the ring around its neck.
The man must know I can, too.
He yells when I start to toss,
and laughs when I miss by a yard.
That spoils my evening at the carnival.
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~~~~~
like the ring toss. I plop a bite into my mouth.
Sweet disappointment melts on my tongue.
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_______________________
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Rain Talkers
I lie in velvet darkness,
absorbing their words.
Carolyn writes:
"I came across USADEEPSOUTH accidentally, but I felt at home. I've spent hours reading the poems and stories. When I read the southern expressions, I said to myself, 'I've been using most of these all my born days.' I've been published in several regional magazines and anthologies including but not limited to: APPALACHIAN HERITAGE, THE APPALACHIAN CONNECTION, GRAB-A-NICKEL, PEGASUS, KENTUCKY WRITING, and THE MOUNTAIN LAUREL."
Read another of Carolyn's stories at USADS: Permanent Disabled
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