Fay L. Loomis
—Poetry by Fay L. Loomis,
Kerhonkson, New York
—Photos Courtesy of Public Domain
WELCOME SPRING
cold pale sunlight
cold pale sunlight
warms tentacled branches
greening baby leaves
burgeon thicket and tree
rowdy colors puncture sky
spring tarries in my forest
PURPLE DRESS, 1945
she wears hand-me-down
saved for special occasion
to Sunday school picnic
solid purple dress
soft, bumpy
crepe, mom said
wide-eyed, she and sister feast:
buns made just for hotdogs,
potato chips, red pop
gazelle girls
arms, legs giddy
gambol across picnic tables
leg crashes through rotted board
she screams, tentacle-armed
ladies yank child, drop to ground
teacher shrills: good lord!
has the devil gotten hold of you,
made you misbehave?
should have known,
unsuitable dress,
harlot’s color.
sisters foot-slog home
dark silence
no jabbering
she strips away torn dress
shrouds self in farm clothes
strikes out for barn to feed animals
veers toward rusted trash barrel
throws wad on coals, flames curl
around dress like shame around her heart
she watches purple turn to ash
(prev. pub. in Stick Figure Poetry, 4-1-22)
HOOPLA
hot pink joggers
hotter pink tee
orange and fuchsia paisley
cardigan, navy squiggles
tangerine flowers
grow on pale pink socks
two-tone sneakers
robin’s egg and navy blue
eighty-something dressed
to trot, nowhere to go
nap
perhaps
(prev. pub. in Mad Swirl, 2-6-22)
THURSDAY LAST
nipped my quilt
to the line
voracious wind set
pendulous swing
beyond Minkowski
spacetime
Forget-Me-Not
LIE ABED
Lie abed, fine lady
until ready.
Sip tea from porcelain cup
pinky finger up.
Dine on quail
and lobster tail.
Dance into dawn
barefoot on lawn.
Never know sorrow
in the land of tomorrow.
Dream on, my beauty,
dream on.
___________________
Today’s LittleNip:
HOW DO YOU KNOW?
—Fay L. Loomis
Today’s LittleNip:
HOW DO YOU KNOW?
—Fay L. Loomis
leaves color the air
lazily spiral earthward
settle into fickle mounds
how to know when to let go
loosen stem from branch
accept death, decay
___________________
___________________
Welcome to the Kitchen, Fay! Fay L. Loomis lives in the woods in Kerhonkson, New York. A member of the Stone Ridge Library Writers and Rat’s Ass Review Workshop, her poetry and prose appear in numerous publications. A stroke (2017), combined with the pandemic, have woven quietude into Fay’s life. Again, welcome to the Kitchen, Fay, and don’t be a stranger!
___________________
—Medusa
For upcoming poetry events in
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
in the links at the top of this page.
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
All you have to do is send poetry and/or
photos and artwork to
kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post
work from all over the world—including
that which was previously published—
and collaborations are welcome.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—
for poetry, of course!
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
in the links at the top of this page.
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
All you have to do is send poetry and/or
photos and artwork to
kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post
work from all over the world—including
that which was previously published—
and collaborations are welcome.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—
for poetry, of course!
