Friends & Writers #1

Welcome to Friends & Writers

This is the first in a series of posts I’ll use to highlight the creative work of friends who have not received the attention I think they deserve.

Ed Covannon was kind enough to allow me to publish “treasures” in a previous post. This is another of Ed’s mesmerizing poems, “Lorayne and Ted,” which I think you’ll love as much as I do.

Lorayne and Ted

In the town of dreams
where I live
an argument arose
between two neighbors.
Lorayne and Ted.

“You want time to stand still and wait for you.”

“You want time to rocket insanely ahead.”

“You’re a coward!”

“You’re reckless!”

And so it escalated until each
cursed the other.

“I hope your heart slows to a crawl.”

“I hope your heart spins like a whirlwind.”

“That’s no curse. That’s a blessing.”

“That’s yours but what’s mine?” she mocked.

In that town, by next morning,
it was done..

One awoke to a still, silent, windless
morning.
He bathed, dressed and ate but the sun rose no higher
and the day grew no warmer
and no breeze moved any leaf.
He knew what had happened.

The other awoke to blurs,
crashes and buzzes.
As she got out of bed
her shadow
writhed across the floor as the sun rapidly rose.
By the time she had her clothes on,
the sun had set and risen again.
She reached her kitchen to another new morning.
The back door, yet another.

It was all very tragic.

By the time Lorayne had crossed
the lawn to Ted’s cottage
to apologize,
Ted had left a posthumous
book about his ordeal,
excerpts from which
were read at his funeral.

Lorayne is alive and hasn’t aged
at all.

The constable of the town
moves orange caution cones around her
every few days
as she crosses
her street.
Old friends regularly visit
and wipe the bird droppings from
her head.

She’s a tourist attraction,
naturally.

Strangers write wishes, predictions
and prayers and place them in the pockets of her
housecoat or in her hand.

The pockets overflow with scraps
of paper.
Those left in her hand
are soon carried away
by the wind.

*A nod to freepik for the use of its image.