Timothy Olson

In a previous post, many visitors to the NESTER enjoyed Carole Gibb’s seventh letter to her sister Mary. In these excerpts from her memoir FISHING FOR COURAGE, Carole writes letters to Mary describing her challenging experiences fishing and living in Southeastern Alaska’s outback.  In her eighth letter, Carole writes a rousing narrative about an evening in a bar in Pelican, the nearest town to her cabin.

I am amused when I read Cathy’s poem HOW LONG WILL IT KEEP – even for a second or third time. Haven’t all of us stopped to take a breath when we look closely at an expiration date of a prescription container, a filet of fish bought at a “REDUCED SALE” cost lingering in the fridge, or a jar of peanut butter that hasn’t been opened in three months?  Will it be perfectly all right, or merely taste bad, or poison me?

Cathy’s poems often take everyday experiences most of us share and then change them in an unexpected direction.  This is one of those poems – you will be pleased that you read it!

The galaxies, the stars, and the planets provide the inspiration for several of Cathy’s poems. The NESTER has featured three of these poems, QUESTIONS FOR THE STARS, LUNAR NEW YEAR, and THE MOON YOU NEVER SEE.  Cathy titled one of her books, IF THE MOON CAME OUT ONLY ONCE A YEAR. 

Like many of her poems, in THE RED PLANET it’s important to carefully read the stanzas prior to the final stanza. A twist in content reveals a thought worth pondering after finishing the poem,  and could inspire a second reading.