tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69874669094932087842024-03-19T07:29:52.414-04:00pretzelwisdomPrimarily a fiction blog with a serial story, additional single-installment short stories, poetry and real-life reflections and observations.LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-75503935283984475442013-03-24T17:51:00.000-04:002013-03-24T17:51:31.155-04:00affectionwisdom
Crush
By Laura McCollough Moss
I like you
in that way that I want to
lie down in the warm spot
where you've been
Sip from your cup
same side
Smell your jacket
save your matchbooks
Walk with you anywhere
make you laugh
I like you
LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-20394525336477244192012-10-08T21:40:00.000-04:002012-10-08T21:40:36.247-04:00presidentialwisdom
A Tired Man
By Laura McCollough Moss
There was a particular cast to the eyes of Ellis Boyd “Red”
Redding when he sat down before the parole board at Shawshank Prison having
served forty years of a life sentence for a murder committed as a young
man. Played with characteristic
brilliance by Morgan Freeman, Red abandoned the ruse of forced humility. Instead, he laid bare the LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-3216223716396762752012-02-18T12:52:00.000-05:002012-02-18T12:54:31.297-05:00greatestloveofallwisdom
Miss Whitney
By Laura McCollough Moss
The death of Whitney Houston has stirred controversy as the nation mourns a woman who many viewed as a flawed, troubled diva. Just as we saw in the period immediately following the death of Steve Jobs (a founder of Apple Inc.), facebook users are posting emotionally-charged images of brave men and women who have given their lives for our LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-25506619272756209842012-01-15T15:06:00.001-05:002012-01-15T15:07:03.194-05:00mylifewisdom
Love
of a Lifetime
By
Laura McCollough Moss
I was three-and-a-half years old in
July of 1965. My brother Dan was two, and together we contracted whooping cough
that summer. We had raging fevers and coughed
continuously, violently and to the point of vomiting. This posed a problem for our very pregnant
mother, because our brother Gil was on his way, unwilling to hold out until ourLucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-24136999876179073562011-12-28T23:27:00.001-05:002022-11-10T17:29:16.540-05:00tunedinwisdom
Duet
By Laura McCollough
You could play me
I would let you
gentle minstrel
strum my soul
I would play you
if you'd let me
not so gently
rock and roll
Love is music
timed in heartbeat
move to rhythms
ages old
Lines and verses
come together
into one
two spirits mold
You can sing me
I will hear you
your lips are
where I belong
I will sing you
if you listen
your name isLucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-3303224806252238602011-11-24T08:11:00.001-05:002011-11-24T08:24:08.804-05:00gratefulwisdom
Thanks
By Laura McCollough Moss
Let's reflect
on blessings
strong, hot coffee
dogs
UPS
shoes
family
GPS
friendship
bread
music
iEverything
conversation
laughter
hugs
someone waiting
something to wish for
children who go to war
PEACE
democracy
freedom
haircolor
chapstick
chocolate
LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-11658969006899301562011-11-08T21:35:00.001-05:002011-11-08T21:35:54.189-05:00Thanksforthememorieswisdom
In Closing
By Laura McCollough Moss
She watches me leave
one more retreating figure
mother
daughter
friend
Step into her altered reality
dinner time
Will we have pork chops?
he'll be home soon
My slacks wet
so cold
tired
She smiles kindly
pretty teeth
bathroom
a sweater
Something smells good
haven't brought my pocketbook
music LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-70387742808536861822011-09-20T20:31:00.001-04:002011-09-20T20:32:01.159-04:00branchedoutwisdom
Deciduous
By Laura McCollough Moss
Hey tree
I like the way you look
rubber stamped black
against a celophane sky
fine black limbs
big leafy branches below
tiny ones reaching heavenward
You are there
all day
while I am working
swaying in the sun
sheltering birds
looking beautiful
I just want to
lie here
smell the warm
fruity
dryer vent
clean clothes tomorrow
All isLucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-9531717124715190962011-09-10T08:42:00.000-04:002011-09-10T08:43:21.361-04:00fullsupportwisdom
Keeping Abreast
By Laura McCollough Moss
Eleven
first stretch bra
creeps up to your armpit when you
raise your hand
Fourteen
self-conscious
what's everybody looking at?
Eighteen
feeling cocky
go ahead and look,
everybody
Twenty-five
nursing babies
form meets function
Forty
first bra over forty dollars
need the lift
the girls are heading south
Fifty
cancer
fuck
all LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-56453620417357091742011-09-01T20:02:00.000-04:002011-09-01T20:02:22.864-04:00bridgewisdom
How About It
By Laura McCollough Moss
I don't know
it's risky
change is
unsettling
but stagnation is
devastating
On the one hand
comfort
competence
loyalty
On the other
adrenaline
beginnings
growth
possibility
Don't you do it-
hang back
fold your petals with the setting sun!
open wide
in your best colors
and shine
shine
shine
LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-65380865959511064782011-08-29T09:26:00.001-04:002011-08-29T09:30:42.191-04:00womantowomanwisdomFully GrownBy Laura McCollough Mos
Three decades nineteen eighty-oneI'm nineteenhe's twenty fourYour little facebeet redin the hooded travel suitThe rest of us are sweatingnot yet Labor Daybut aren't they supposed to be kept warm?Somehow you survived ourinexperiencegrew THRIVEDWe can't take creditjust stood by and watched youdo your thingproud young WOMAN LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-14972669860984612062011-07-22T22:01:00.000-04:002011-07-22T22:01:02.429-04:00pretzelwisdom: peacefuleasywisdompretzelwisdom: peacefuleasywisdom: "Let's Go By Laura McCollough Moss Paved roads dirt roads Guernseys road apples Steve Miller Al Wilson Peaches and Herb Singing at the tops..."LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-26285490343823102772011-07-22T22:00:00.000-04:002011-07-22T22:00:25.035-04:00peacefuleasywisdomLet's GoBy Laura McCollough Moss
Paved roadsdirt roadsGuernseysroad applesSteve MillerAl WilsonPeaches and HerbSinging at the tops of our lungsfoot out the open windowNo concern for the 'dothis is my therapyStatelandscornVacant campswoodsmokeAmishwas that a plastic playsetdo they believe in that?I believe in fresh airtwilightthose first few plops of rainclouds of dust behind clean free LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-1569794038259546532011-07-18T23:19:00.000-04:002011-07-18T23:19:36.852-04:00maturitywisdomFifty Sense
By Laura McCollough Moss
I’ll be fifty years old this year. Approaching this milestone has catapulted me into a period of life review and evaluation. I’ve registered to complete my bachelor’s degree on-line; a pursuit I have wrestled with for a long time. Isn’t it a little late? Following a full-time class schedule while maintaining a marriage, pet ownership, empty-nest motherhood LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-61812510989047893702011-05-22T21:59:00.001-04:002020-06-28T17:42:24.448-04:00smalltownwisdomFriday NightBy Laura McCollough
Another hard week tired butmake the effortHire a sitterput off the electric billPretty facetoo much makeupteeth not perfectno money for thatNothing to wearborrow a top from a friendshiny, cheap and tightclings to the muffin topover jeans frombefore the baby Old bridesmaid's heelskill to walk in the bar is fullthe usual crowdlook for that guy LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-30936788339520033012011-05-16T21:13:00.000-04:002018-11-17T19:08:44.765-05:00lovingcarewisdom
Family Leave
By Laura McCollough Moss
That's it
don't be restless now
Dial soap
hot water in a plastic basin
squeeze the cloth tight
wrap it around your hand
like a mitt
never forgot that
press the moist, clean-smelling warmth
gently against her face and
hear the grateful sigh
Wipe the eyes carefully
outward from the inside corner
each side of the nose
wet the lips
dip
LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-53790752496228438202011-05-09T21:30:00.000-04:002011-05-09T21:30:10.965-04:00hardwonwisdomGood GriefBy Laura McCollough Moss
Slowlyslowlythe veil is liftedlook upaccept the sun's comfortAh, that's what it felt likeit's been so cold so darkfor so longOne day a sliver of joy streams inwith its friend hopeShedding lightyou rememberfondlywithout tearslaugh againA far better tributeto live your lifelay your cautious heart barecelebrate what waswho's leftLucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-9830801537301841342011-04-28T21:19:00.000-04:002011-04-28T21:19:20.976-04:00painfulwisdomJust a Feeling I GetBy Laura McCollough Moss
I'd like to quantify this pain for youon a scale of one to tenit's not so much a painas an acheoh, not an ache but asensationall down my arms across my chestwhere someone has beentaken awaynever to holdagainwhat kind of remedy not a job fornon-steroidal anti-inflammatoriesacetaminophen won't touch itnarcotics wouldn't make a LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-84683637254038857462011-04-25T14:20:00.000-04:002011-04-25T14:20:31.289-04:00resurrectionwisdomHow I Spent My Easter BreakBy Laura McCollough Moss
Ever the Good Motheror so I assumedas I tidied and scrubbedbaked and shoppedcareful to selectto convey welcomeattention to preferenceand comfortunintentionally making the fatal mistakeof expectationA misguided effortto mendthe apparently irreparableresult of myabiding, smothering loveTwenty year old home videoaiming the LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-36680112506138540542011-04-21T19:24:00.000-04:002011-04-21T19:24:49.000-04:00fretfulwisdomWorried By Laura McCollough Moss
I'm worriedwill Spring ever comewill I gain weight from Easter dinnerwill my dogs stay healthywill the organic detergent get the clothes as clean as Tidewill these wars ever stopwill I lose my jobwill I have to work foreverwill gas prices go higherwill I get cancerlike my parentswill we have an earthquakedoes my husband still want meam I looking olderwill the LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-64039008609126958192011-04-15T20:24:00.000-04:002011-04-15T20:24:53.170-04:00workingclasswisdomAll There IsBy Laura McCollough Moss
So this is it,thenwake upshow updigest the insultsendure the ignorancedodge the bulletsWindowswho needs 'em?Let's see you put a positive spinon this development.Somehow you still tryembrace the challengeassimilateStay busyeat shitand die a littleevery day.LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-9890609279154989932011-03-27T19:19:00.000-04:002011-03-27T19:19:43.205-04:00babymamawisdom
Kaelynn Grace
For Angelica
By Laura McCollough Moss
On this day
when others
your age
lift too many and sleep til noon,
You rock a golden baby
sing and pray.
So young,
both of you
there's no handbook for motherhood
they say
could you have prepared for this?
You love her so,
that's all you know.
You absorb, react, respond
do your best to figure it out day by day.
STRENGTH
LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-92116956676334540402011-03-20T19:55:00.003-04:002011-03-21T15:01:40.611-04:00scatteredwisdom
AshesBy Laura McCollough Moss
It started today,out on Lake Gastonthe somber broadcastA few there,a few more on land becausePapa likes to think of her beneath a treetomorrow all the restwill go as she wantedinto the Atlanticoff the Carolina coastand I wonderwhere are the lavender toenails?I hope her arms are in Gastonshe can caress us while we swimHer strong proud facebeneath the treebasking in LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-89412567956072696612011-03-09T22:10:00.000-05:002012-06-15T21:17:24.959-04:00reallovewisdom
He Loved Her
By Laura McCollough Moss
His truck was already parked in the lot when I got to the restaurant; judging by the rain on the windows he'd gotten there well before me. I'd called him from work to check on our plans.
"Let's meet at the Club at five-thirty," I suggested, distractedly checking my email.
He'd heard that one before.
"So you'll be there at what time?"
"Shut up! I'mLucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6987466909493208784.post-26182993897551100172011-03-06T11:01:00.001-05:002021-10-01T13:13:09.056-04:00echoesofpastwisdomA Woman's RiteBy Laura McCollough
Try to understandit's still fresh you seethis hurtthis painthat you see in mefeeling guiltyblistering shame at what I've doneI was raised betterwouldn't hurtanyoneBut I didsomeone who needed meto survive I was more concerned aboutthe appearance of thingsHe drove me there butdidn't stayI was all aloneto face the choice we madeCountry hickI'm sure they LucyLarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10612361628329231277noreply@blogger.com0