ONE MORE OFFERING FROM POET LAUREATE ALAN

Here is the last one for tonight - read on down for the background on this string of posts:

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE JACK'S FORK RIVER
                            for Stacie and Jess
      we joked
   like little house
 on the prairie?

      but why did you
   go down there
 so far away?

      you hate snakes, and every
   week, there are some copperheads
 under your front porch...

      it seems a half dozen
   coyotes are getting closer
 & eyeing your dogs...

      a black bear
   broke into your new beehive
 & made off with all the honey...

      while swimming in the river
   a water moccasin
 got in your shoes, on the shore...

      so what is there
   about it,
 down there?

      there is
   a silence
 coming in at dusk...

      where the haze
   & mist
 rise up from the river...

      as the fireflies
   move with direction, with their
 white, soundless, flight...

      guiding them
   where only they
 know where to go.

ALAN YOUNT, THE COUNT, SHINING STAR OF MUSIC AND POETRY - LEARN MORE

I hope everyone has had a great Christmas season and is looking forward to a healthy, happy New Year.  Seems we could all use a new year!  I wanted to end this year with more information about our KHS65 poet laureate, Alan Yount.  Alan has been featured in the summer 2018 issue of the magazine WestWard Quarterly (WestWardquarterly.com) and below you'll see the article about him as well as one of the poems featured in that article. This issue featured 4 of his poems, but they've published 4 others in the past.  In this issue he was Featured Poet, and with 50 poets in the issue, seems to me that says a LOT!  If you look further back on this blog you'll see more of Alan's poetry.  I think if you click on Snippets from Classmates you'll find them faster, not sure if I put that label on every post!  Alan is a very accomplished trumpet player, and if you attended KHS dances you probably remember his band...  if you wish to give him a shoutout you can email him at a red boat at centurylink dot net.

Alan and I share another connection in that our dads were both at McDonnell and we are pretty sure, corroborated by his mom, that his dad rode in my dad's carpool when he bought a Morris bus to carpool folks back and forth from Kirkwood to 'the plant'.  

I hope you all enjoy his poetry.  I'm not a poetry kinda girl, but I do enjoy his - I can usually understand it!!  

EVER TRY CALLING A CAT?

ever try calling a at?
...good luck with that.
what's the reason
why dogs can be called
and cats can't?
nothing against dogs...
but a cat is nobody's fool.
if you call a cat,
it will be wary, and walk away.
chase it 
and it will run away.
so just go about your day.
like finding happiness or love
a cat will surprise you.
someday the cat will
slip up & curl itself
upon your lap.
and for pete's sake
don't ever
yell out to a cat
like you would a dog
"here shep."

Click on the article to make it larger so you can read it :-)) ! Well sorry, if I make it smaller, it's too small, so you'll have to use the lower scroll bar side to side to read it all, sorry about that!  But it's worth the trouble...another KHS65 friend making us look sooo good!

Kathy Watts Stitsinger 1947 - 2018

Many of you won't remember Kathy, but she was at Robinson with us and a cousin of our KHS65 Classmate Bill Watts.  Bill attended a Christmas party not too long ago and brought along the class picture of my 2nd grade class.  I joined the class in February so had never seen the class photo!  I will be forever grateful for that.  Now he brings us the sad news of the passing of his cousin Kathy.  I remember her so well, an adorable girl, small, sweet, dark hair, delicate features.  She has left us too early from that dread disease pancreatic cancer, which takes so many, including both of my children's grandfathers.  I hope some of you will remember Kathy and think of her fondly.  Thanks to Bill for being in touch with us!!!

Go Here:  https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dayton/obituary-print.aspx?n=kathleen-ann-stitsinger&pid=191066266 for her obituary.

Merry Christmas from The Count

A Christmas gift - from our KHS65 poet laureate Alan (The Count) Yount: Alan has been published several times this year, not the least of which is in the WestWard Quarterly issue of this summer. He was their featured writer and poet in that issue and I share one of the 4 poems they published, the others will come later but here's his Christmas offering: 

Why Write a Poem, About a Quail?

why write a poem, about a quail?

somehow...
from some, unknown way,
there comes a reason, why words
just come to you.
when first...
looking at the shape
of a poem,
you think something is missing
then...
like a quail is startled,
while walking a hedgerow...
more words
fly out:
something taking flight...
somehow...something
is there now, on paper
that was not there...
...just a fleeting moment
...before.

Our class is so blessed to have such talented people who have been in our midst for so long. Alan sends Merry Christmas wishes to all of our KHS65 wonderful friends.