I know it’s Tuesday, but I’m sharing the following poem as part of Stevie Turner’s Friday Write feature. This poem was published in the June 5th issue of The Weekly Avocet, which can be downloaded here. You can click the link below the poem to hear me read it.
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Woody Woodpecker
By Abbie Johnson Taylor
Copyright 2022.
“Listen to that,” says Dad,
as we walk through the park one spring morning.
I’m a teenager,
and my father is walking me to school.
We stop for a moment.
I hear it, a power drill without the motor.
“That’s a woodpecker,
boring holes in that tree over there,” Dad explains.
He points, but I can’t see.
Preoccupied, I wonder why I should care.
That day after school,
I’m watching a cartoon on television with my younger brother.
Again, I hear the motorless drill,
this time followed by Woody Woodpecker’s cheerful tune.
Why is he boring holes in that tree?
Why is he so happy?
With limited vision, I can’t see the screen.
I listen while brother watches, says nothing.
I’m amazed at how cheerful Woody is,
despite the curveballs life throws his way.
Maybe we could all follow his example.
New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.
Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
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My Corner 