BC-MA–Small Town Poet-Excerpts,Adv05-06,0350

Adv05-06

For release weekend editions June 5-6 and thereafter

Excerpts from J. Patricia Holohan’s poems

With BC-MA–Small Town Poet

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By The Associated Press





—

She sat demurely at the table, sipping

her milk. She munched the chocolate covered donut,

but no trace was left on her pretty lips. She

was a picture of grace and elegance. I could

not help but ask “Honey, what’s your name?”

“Victoria.” She was as polite as she

was pretty. How perfectly the name matched the child.

– From “Victoria”

—

I stopped to pull the tray of muffins from the oven. The smell was

heavenly. I stood, inhaling deeply. One muffin caught my eye, held me

hypnotized. It sat in the corner of the tin, staring at me with moist, blue

eyes. I could see the sun-tanned brow, the healthy glow of two cheeks. I

was speechless. Those blue eyes held me, like limpid pools.

– From “The Blueberry Muffin”

—

—

I spent my lifetime loving others, tending to them. After the death of my husband, I was alone, no one to have to do for, to clean for, to care for. … Now, for the first time, I can remember, I’ve been painfully lonely. I’ve ached to feel strong arms around my shoulders. I longed for someone to be in the room with me, hungered to look deep into loving eyes.

– From “Loneliness”

AP-ES-06-03-04 2017EDT