Writers Corner for June 29, 2012
CRIMINALIZING THE WORDS
This morning after a long night of writing, I was eating breakfast at the Silver Spoon Cafe. The air was buzzing with chatter. I looked at Ike behind the counter and asked, "What's going on?" He said, "You don't know?" I said, "No." Then he told me, "Last night Mailman Dale was murdered - chopped up by an ax." I said, "That's too bad." As Ike poured my coffee he said, "To tell the truth, Dale had a big mouth and a regular route where he did more than deliver mail. Someone just got tired of his nonsense." I asked, "Do the police know who did it?" Ike laughed and said, "They have never had a murder in this town, let alone solved any kind of homicide."
I moved to this little town in Idaho to get away from the crimes in the big city. I guess the times are changing even in this town with a population of 2085. I agree with Ike the police drive fancy squad cars and look like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine. As for solving a crime of this magnitude, well I think they are best left posing with the children for the D.A.R.E. program.
Slowly this little town is beginning to sleep again. My writing here is almost finished. Last night I wrote the final chapter to my latest book. As I was doing the last edit early this morning, I heard several sirens on the next block over. I got dressed and walked over to see what the commotion was.
Whiskey Wanda was coming out of the crowd. I could see that she was shook up pretty badly, and I was surprised - it takes quite a bit to unnerve Wanda. I asked her, "What happened?" She said, "The Ax Man hacked up another victim." I asked her who it was and she told me, "Alice Shoelace. She's been chopped in half and decapitated!" I asked Wanda if there was anything I could do to help and she said, "Yeah, buy me a couple drinks and let's talk awhile."
The next morning, I decided to leave town. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I knew that my story in this town was finished. I thought I would find another little city and write another book. I'm not certain what the topic of my next book will be, but I'm thinking maybe arson or perhaps rape. It all depends on the criminal between the lines.
- Keith Sargent, Mullan
•••
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Wrote poetry every day
But then came a time
It was really a crime
When she had nothing left to say
A man by the name of Poe
Was searching out in the snow
He doubted his mind
When what did he find
But a cask of Amontillado
Kipling wrote of Gunga Din
As brave a man as ever seen
But Din expired
'Cause he was fired
For breastplate not where it should-a-been
- Phil Membury, Coeur d'Alene
•••
FRIENDSHIP
Friendship is a treasure hunt
you're never sure when you find it
but when it's found
it's more precious than
For true Friendship
can never lose its
and true Friendship
can never be
- Joyce Almquist, Coeur d'Alene
•••
Word-slingers wanted.
Send us your poems, your prose, essays and anecdotes. We'll publish them here.
The Press Writers Corner features original, creative writing submitted by our readers. We publish the column most Fridays in the North Idaho Life section of the print edition of The Press.
Send your Writers Corner submissions to Maureen Dolan, mdolan@cdapress.com.
We prefer email submissions, and ask that you limit the length of your short stories, essays and poems. Please include your hometown with your submission.
You can send hard-copies by mail to Maureen Dolan at The Press, 201 Second St., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.