A Poem from Spoon River Anthology

JEREMY CARLISLE
by:  Edgar Lee Masters

Passer-by, sin beyond any sin
Is the sin of blindness of souls to other souls.
And joy beyond any joy is the joy
Of having the good in you seen, and seeing the good
At the miraculous moment!
Here I confess to a lofty scorn,
And an acrid skepticisum.
But do you remember the liquid that Penniwit
Poured on tintypes, making them blue
With a mist like hickory smoke?
Then how the picture began to clear
Till the face came forth like life?
So you appeared to me, neglected ones,
And enemies toom, as I went along
With my face growing clearer to you as yours
Grew clearer to me.
We were ready then to walk together
And sing in chorus and chant the dawn
Of life that is wholly life.

Cat Mommy

I don't have traditional human children.  Instead, I have cats.  The thing about cats is that they never really grow up.  Yes they become "adult" cats but they never go to college, get a job and get married.  They stay perpetual five year olds their entire lives.  And I will always be their cat mommy with all the rights and responsibilities that entails.  The hardest part of being a cat mommy is being strong when your baby is sick.  All you want to do is cry but you can't because you have to be strong for your cat baby. 

Last Saturday, I had to take my cat Cleo to the vet.  She had a hematomia in her ear.  The best way to explain what a hematomia is is to say it's like a bruise that has no place to spread.  The blood vessels in her ear burst and the blood couldn't spread like it would  in a normal bruise and instead her ear swelled.  Part of the reason that there was so much blood in her ear is because cat ears have lots of blood vessels.

On Monday I took her to the vet who lanced, drained and bandaged her ear.  After about an hour she managed to push the bandage off.  Yesterday as she was walking by I noticed her ear looked a little odd.  So, I picked her up and checked her ear to find it was even more swollen than on Monday.   

As it was the beginning of Easter weekend the office was about to close early so I rushed her to the vet.  The vet put a small tube in her ear, more medicine down her ear and wrapped her head in gauze.  She then sent me home with instructions on how to flush the ear by squirting deluded iodine through the tube, how to put more sap down her ear and how to redress her head.  In addition she has to take a liquid antibiotic to help kill the infection that has developed in her ear.  The process is uncomfortable and painful for Cleo and heart breaking for me.  She hates the bandages covering her head and continually tries to push them off. Last night she slept with me so I could keep her from messing with her bandages. Luckily, she slept most of the night.

Monday she goes back to get a more secure tube put in her ear versus the temporary one she has now but until then she has to be bandaged up.  Her ear will be permanently broken as the weight from the blood has broken the delicate ear cartilage but she should be okay.  I wish I could make her more comfortable and fix her ear.  Mostly I wish she hadn't gotten hurt in the first place.  We don't know how she hurt her ear.  The vet speculated that she may have been scratching and she stabbed it with her nail.  However, it happened the only thing I can do is be strong for her and get her through this moment in her little cat life. 

A Woman of Lean

Lately, I've been feeling a little sad.  I know I shouldn't complain about my financial situation because there are people who have far worse problems than me but there are some things that I'm already starting to miss about having money.  Don't get me wrong, I've never been rich but up until a few months ago I was able to afford more things than I can now.  I just wish I was still a woman of means rather than a woman of lean. 

About two weeks ago, I bought two pairs of skinny jeans.  I've been putting off having hemmed because I can't afford the $10 a pair.  So, last week while surfing through Pinterest I found a pin about hemming jeans and decided to give it a try.  I was pretty damn proud of myself and still am for being able to hem the jeans.  However, the next day I started thinking about the fact that in the past few months I've had to really find ways around my financial problems and I was sad.

Along with hemming my own jeans, I've started coloring my own hair, doing my own manicures & pedicures, and I don't go out to eat anymore.  It's true that, at least, I could afford to buy some new jeans but it's frustrating to know that I won't be buying any new clothes or shoes for at least, six months if not more.  I hate that I can't afford the "me time" that came along with getting my hair and/or nails done.  Mostly I miss going out with my friends.  I hate declining invitations to dinner, movies or drinks.  

I've been applying for adjunct positions in various junior colleges and I'm hoping one of them will pan out.  I'm also thinking of selling Mary Kay but the initial investment seems a little too steep at the moment.

Just Keep Swimming

  Twenty days ago, I was so excited to start writing again.   I had ideas and wanted to just ride the wave of creativity and then the wave b...