Swamp Reflections
Dear readers
Isn’t it a beautiful time of year! An old friend, Maria, always comes by at this time of year. She was a nun, but then found a job caring for a widower and his offspring of seven children as a nanny in Austria. She ended up marrying the guy. We sat around the stove, reminiscing about the old days when she gave us a bundle of brown paper all tied up with strings. These packages are one of my favorite things. Maria loves to sing, so we put on a record and started signing the music sounds on vinyl. One of the songs was about brown paper wrappers.
After Maria left, I looked at the brown paper package and was inspired to write a poem about my favorite things. I used the same tune as on the record.
bottled herring
Herring in bottles and horsemeat on crackers
Bakker’s Salt in My Licorice and Gouda Cheese
Loonies and toonies and coffee at Tim’s
These are some of my favorite things
Cream in my coffee and stinky bruises
Discounts on salmon still free from disease
Wild geese flying with the moon on their wings.’
These are some of my favorite things
Girls with pearl earrings and greenery from the garden
Recorded music, especially pipe organ
Kale in salad and spicy spices
These are some of my favorite things
When the pipes burst, when the car stalls,
when i feel sad
I just remember my favorite things,
and then I don’t feel so bad.
I know you, dear reader, have your favorite things. Wouldn’t it be great if we could hold a poetry contest right here at the Millstone? Well, we can! Statistics show that you have a much better chance of winning if you enter the contest.
I did a similar contest last year and won! My fiancée tells me that I can’t keep judging my own poetry contests. I’ve heard that employees of companies that offer contests can’t register themselves. I will be moderating the poetry challenge but not joining.
Send your poetry entries to Brent Eades at the Millstone. editor@millstonenews.com. See the link and title your poem, “Brown Paper Packets” or “My Favorite Things.” Submit entries by December 22/21 to qualify for the grand prize. The prize will be fantastic and will be wrapped in a brown paper wrapper. A certificate praising your poetic skills and status as a poet in the community accompanies the award.
I will judge your poem on your ability to follow the rhythm of “My Favorite Things”, sung by my friend Maria in The Sound of Music. You will also receive points for unique favorite things and humor. Hint, if you sing your poem yourself, you can hear if it follows the melody.
Pop in or your neighbors and start writing poems to the tune of “My Favorite Things” sung by my friend Maria in The sound of music.
The next time you walk down a street in Almonte, people will turn their heads and say, “Hey look, there’s the poetry winner who won the award for best poet in Almonte!” Let’s try to get an autograph!
