Where the Lost Things Go

A VERY, VERY SHORT STORY

A confused elderly woman searches for items she believes have been taken by mysterious little creatures who live inside the walls of her rickety old house.

“Why would they need a tiny pair of scissors, the cardboard backing for my writing tablet, and a brown eyebrow pencil?” she mumbles.

The next morning, she smiles with surprise, for at the bottom of her disheveled bed lies a cardboard paper-doll with brown eyes just like hers.    

(I love a happy ending, don’t you?)

Mary Shelley Biopic

Mary Shelley tells the story of a young girl in England who wrote the famous Frankenstein novel back in the 1800s. Romance, imagination, misery, feminism and love of writing combine in this intriguing biopic starring Elle Fanning, who gives the performance of her career in the title role.

This movie had a special impact on me because in a way, Mary Shelley is responsible for my obsession with films. My first memory involves being a young child hiding under a theater seat looking up at the Frankenstein monster. I was both terrified and fascinated at the same time. From that day forward, I’ve been hooked on movies.

Women authors have faced the plight,

lack of respect, and that’s not right.

MARY SHELLEY, a fine movie,

shows how sad this fact can be.

Mary’s father and husband too

felt her writing just would not do.

But she earned fame despite their gall.

Her creation surprised them all.

Mary wrote the first sci-fi book.

With Gothic themes, just take a look.

Frankenstein makes life from the dead.

His Creature lives and causes dread.

This biopic is quite a treat.

Acting and visuals? Hard to beat.

Dramatic license – what’s the fuss?

That’s all done to entertain us.

Genesis

The poem below is my response to an important question many friends ask me about poetry.

How does a poem get to be?

Here’s the way it goes for me.

Thoughts and words dance in my brain

like whirling imps defying pain

They visit me in bed at night.

So we party until the light.

That’s how a poem seduces me

to write it down for all to see.

Those sleepless nights play a big part

in my attempt to create art.