life’s s’mores by Juley Harvey
Waxing poetic about a chance meeting at a local Supermarket here in Estes Park.
This week we have another poignant segment of poetry from local writer Julie Harvey. In this poem she Waxes poetic about a chance meeting at a local Supermarket here in Estes Park.
life’s s’mores
the 90-year-old woman
(looking and acting 60)
in the estes park country supermarket
told me what my mother lived
and what romance books preached:
you have to do what the guy wants,
to stay married.
her heart had been in estes park;
his, in aspen,
where they met and fell in love,
locating there after a short stint
in south dakota.
now, here she was, alone,
in the cleaning aisle
in the country store in estes park,
staying at the y camp,
because she didn’t want
to die without having done so.
she grinned, remembering
her many mountaineering years.
we laughed, aisle friends.
you’d have to think,
who could ask
for life’s so much mores?
s’mores smiles.
i invited her to visit me,
but she had too many dates
on her calendar. miles.
i hope i see her again —
she gave me good advice
on a cleaning product,
and i need help
with a scrubby-dubber,
s’mores, and hanging on to a man.
and life’s s’mores.
and thank you, mom,
from wherever skies,
you always wore
the best disguise.
i’ll have to choose to
tell this out-of-towner
just how wonder-wise
you always were
(more now, than ever).
she’d smile with her eyes:
until you lose, it’s never sure
how much you needed
that last s’more.
so, if we’re only
passing though,
remember this always:
i love you.
you never know what
you’ll bring home
from the store,
even with a list.
sometimes, some less,
sometimes s’more.
i suppose you could say
that is true of everything —
who knows what you’ve missed,
and exactly what you’re bringing home
from your cart.
make sure it’s the best,
aisle 7, close to heaven.
s’more on the way.
it lights the campfire
of the heart.
the simply mundane
is often miraculous.
going to the store
and getting a recipe
for the sudden s’mores
of life. and not having strife.
About the poet:
Juley Harvey is a former journalist (California and Colorado) and a prize-winning poet —— TulipTree Review’s Wild Women, Thompson Peak (Janesville, CA) animal stories, Tilting to Listen; Wolf Warriors; Celebrating Animal Rescue; Dancing Poetry; and TallGrass Writers black-and-white series. Her work has appeared in more than 45 publications, beginning with Cosmopolitan. She is currently trying to conquer short stories and novels, along with poetry. She lives at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park with her loving animal rescue companions, Ms. Moosie and Mr. Pye, and is in the wonderful Estes Park Writers Group, led by Kevin Wolf and sometimes by Jason Van Tatenhove.
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