Sunday night - I watch my shows and munch pretzels - Poem: Judy and I Visit Staples After our Writing Group

JUDY AND I VISIT STAPLES
AFTER OUR WRITING GROUP

She wrote a lovely poem
about her mother, as
beautiful as the sculpture
Pieta in the Vatican

I wrote Red High Heels
a fanciful story about
Goddard, my college
in the foothills of Vermont

Every month, it seems, my
printer runs out of ink
so I paid $60 to get black
and color cartridges

Is there no fairness in the world?
No justice? Robbed blind every time
I write a letter, a poem, a story.

In the writers' group, Ken gave us
gifts. To every writer, two pens.
Justice is served.

They're the fun kind, like the old
Papermate Jotter. Remember? If they
need you for the rhythm section and
you're no Elvin Jones on drums - cigarette
dangling from his now-dead mouth - merely
click the top, off and on, on and off.

The first thing I wrote with my new pen
were all my passwords. Variations of
"creatinine level." But I jest.

And now, picking up my pen again, I see
it is no better than my $60 cartridge.
Dead, spent, wore out, crappily made.
Justice! I scream. Justice, where on
earth is justice?

***

My 'new' printer cost $45 and the cartridges $60.

***

Scott made us homemade pizza. I helped myself to my pizzelles which I keep away from temptation on his kitchen counter.

We were surprised to find the Sunday night TCM film was The Titanic, 1953, with Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Wagner and his new love,

  Audrey Dalton, born in 1934. How lovely she was in the film. Still kicking at age 83.

Iris liked my short story Red High Heels, esp b/c I put in details of real life in it.

  The main character Meredith had plans to stay in Kilpatrick Dorm, but things didn't work out that way.

I wanted an unusual first name. Meredith is my dental hygienist. 

THE TITANIC

The moment I rolled into bed to watch
the 1953 version of The Titantic,
I began to panic. I knew what would
happen, they did not.

What could I do to comfort myself?
Scott was dead to the world with
exhaustion. I thought of going
downstairs and eating three
more pizzelles, but then I'd
have to move.

Instead I groaned inside,
finger-combed my new "do"
of red hair - was I reminiscent
of Norma Desmond in last night's
Sunset Boulevard?

"It's not so terrible," said Wm Holden,
being age fifty!"

Now they are getting into the boats.
Clifton Webb, a dreadful cad, will
have a change of personality and
become "useful," his lovely
cad-wife Stanwyck whose
ermine stole will glow nicely
as they row her lifeboat away

Oh, it's not half so good or
nervewracking as the "epic"
1996 film - take it away
Leonardo DiCaprio and
Kate Winslet - both films
possess the lovely touch of
playing music as the ship
goes down. Sinks. Lights off.
Every room flooded and dark.
The ship gone, a goner, as if
she never existed.

And 22 years later, we wonder
how the Eagles are doing.

****