Writers Corner for October 26, 2012

RIVER RIDE

Easy morning for waking up

Empty skies, full coffee cup

River slipping by, no end

Calling you to every bend.

Drive the truck to launching spot

On dusty, crowded road, and hot

Unload and transfer to the boat

Prepare for long-awaited float.

At last, you ease into the river

Accompanied by a squeaking shiver

Settle in, begin the ride

Eye the course and set the stride.

Find the middle and join the flow

Who cares what's going on below

You're in it now, the perfect zone

With all of nature there to own.

A swelling calm begins to spread

"til nothing's left of fear or dread

The passing moments fill with sights

That catch the breath with Nature's might.

Spiraling trees with leaves a-shimmer

Suddenly, your woes are dimmer

Finely balanced with roots displayed

Held only by the words you prayed.

The water is tingly, prickly, cold

On skin that's sunned to burnished gold

The surface reflects what's down below

With ripples, or rapids, or a dead calm show.

It's quite like life, you know

- Karen Worcester, Hayden

•••

THE CALL

By Mary-Ellen O'Neill, Kellogg

It started out like any other weekday. Up at 6 a.m., morning prayers, Bible reading, bite to eat, feed the pets and get ready for work. Something I had done alone for the past five years. But it was 'one' of those days when I felt so ALONE so very ALONE.

As I drove to work 'it' started once again. Many times I could control it but not this time. The tears fell and fell. As I pulled up to the red light I started to bang on the steering wheel and heard myself saying out loud, "I don't care who the next man is that asks me out; I am going. I don't care if he is fat, tall, skinny, short, black, white, purple, orange or blue. I AM GOING OUT WITH HIM."

It had been five years that I had become a widow and I was so very tired of being alone and not having someone to love and some one to love me. I am sure the cars next to me thought, 'oh no, another car rage person, stay away from her'.

As I walked into work I headed to the chapel to gather my thoughts and ask Our Lord to help me make it thru another day and He did.

Around noon I answered my phone and there was an unfamiliar voice say, 'Hi Mary-Ellen, this is Terry O." Oh my, I thought how nice to hear from him, I wonder what he is calling about. And then I found out. He was asking ME OUT!!! Me, out, out on a date! He wanted to know if I would like to go to lunch on Saturday. I sort of hesitated and then remember what I had said just a few hours before and said yes, sure I'd love to go.

After we hung up I started to have doubts if I should go or not and thought I best call back and tell him I could not go, but thank goodness a friend said, "Hey it is JUST lunch and it is free. Go!" And so go I went.

We went to my favorite fish cafe, unknown to him that it was. Had a great lunch, conversation and just being with Terry was a prayer that was answered.

We parted ways and he said he would 'call'. How many times had I heard that in the past before I was married and then became a widow after 26 years of marriage? This 'dating scene' was all new to me, but those words were not.

But call he did and did and did. We spent each evening and weekends together and I know now that when you pray, really pray with all your heart and soul your prayers are answered in a big way.

I would like to tell you that we "lived happily every after" but that I cannot do. But I can tell you that we are more in love today after 11 years of marriage than "happily ever after" could ever explain.

•••

Send us your original poems, prose, essays and anecdotes.

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.

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