Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Moderator: Shelley Hansen
- Shelley Hansen
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- Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 5:39 pm
- Location: Maryborough, Queensland
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Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Maureen, I love the way you come up with these challenging and intriguing prompts every month! I don't know about degree of difficulty - it just seems to me that once they trigger a train of thought, there's no stopping it! I'm not sure how and why they lead me where they do - but perhaps that's a good thing!
JUST A POOR OLD MAID
(c) Shelley Hansen 10-4-21
I jumped to wrong conclusions when I first met Miss Kincaid.
The people of the town had said, “She’s just a poor old maid,
a girl who never married, who has spent her life alone.”
I thought, perhaps, that she’d been spared the heartaches I had known.
She always wore a sunny smile, and never seemed to sigh.
Her flower garden welcomed each admiring passer-by.
Her hens supplied the district and the produce from her stall
graced meat and three veg dinners that were fed to one and all.
I thought of how she must have lived – footloose and fancy free,
untroubled by a husband or the cares of family –
until one special moment on a suitably fine day
I took the time to visit when I chanced to pass her way.
She told me of the man she’d loved when in the bloom of youth.
She’d listened to his promises, believed he spoke the truth.
“He’d charm the skin right off a snake,” she wistfully remarked,
“and didn’t see the blind devotion that his words had sparked.”
“I dreamed of ‘ever after’ and he promised me a ring.
Some townsfolk tried to warn me, but I wouldn’t hear a thing
against him, as I made my plans to wed and settle down –
until I learned he had a girl in almost every town!”
Her heart of gold was broken, shattered quite beyond repair.
She never found another man whose journey she could share.
She nursed her ageing parents till the day they passed away,
then helped her neighbours, as she watched herself grow old and grey.
They called her “just a poor old maid”. It made me realise
how life is so much more than what’s apparent to the eyes.
Events that could have made her bitter, made her kind instead.
As songbirds trilled with joy, a mournful crow cawed overhead.
JUST A POOR OLD MAID
(c) Shelley Hansen 10-4-21
I jumped to wrong conclusions when I first met Miss Kincaid.
The people of the town had said, “She’s just a poor old maid,
a girl who never married, who has spent her life alone.”
I thought, perhaps, that she’d been spared the heartaches I had known.
She always wore a sunny smile, and never seemed to sigh.
Her flower garden welcomed each admiring passer-by.
Her hens supplied the district and the produce from her stall
graced meat and three veg dinners that were fed to one and all.
I thought of how she must have lived – footloose and fancy free,
untroubled by a husband or the cares of family –
until one special moment on a suitably fine day
I took the time to visit when I chanced to pass her way.
She told me of the man she’d loved when in the bloom of youth.
She’d listened to his promises, believed he spoke the truth.
“He’d charm the skin right off a snake,” she wistfully remarked,
“and didn’t see the blind devotion that his words had sparked.”
“I dreamed of ‘ever after’ and he promised me a ring.
Some townsfolk tried to warn me, but I wouldn’t hear a thing
against him, as I made my plans to wed and settle down –
until I learned he had a girl in almost every town!”
Her heart of gold was broken, shattered quite beyond repair.
She never found another man whose journey she could share.
She nursed her ageing parents till the day they passed away,
then helped her neighbours, as she watched herself grow old and grey.
They called her “just a poor old maid”. It made me realise
how life is so much more than what’s apparent to the eyes.
Events that could have made her bitter, made her kind instead.
As songbirds trilled with joy, a mournful crow cawed overhead.
Shelley Hansen
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
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Re: Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Hi Shelley
You have certainly nailed this one.
And you have woven a really nice touching and believable story to go with it.
I'm a bit like you with prompts, you just never know where they may lead you to.
So you just board 'a train of thought' and enjoy the ride.
Terry
You have certainly nailed this one.
And you have woven a really nice touching and believable story to go with it.
I'm a bit like you with prompts, you just never know where they may lead you to.
So you just board 'a train of thought' and enjoy the ride.
Terry
- Shelley Hansen
- Posts: 2224
- Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 5:39 pm
- Location: Maryborough, Queensland
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Re: Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Thanks so much Terry - and yes, you are so right about the prompts. What a good analogy you've used!
Shelley Hansen
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
- Maureen K Clifford
- Posts: 8057
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- Location: Ipswich - Paul Pisasale country and home of the Ipswich Poetry Feast
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Re: Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Oh WOW! That is terrific Shelley and so very believable as well - I dare say there are quite a few ladies like Miss Kincaid out there You have made excellent use of the prompts, but they you always do Well done.
Check out The Scribbly Bark Poets blog site here -
http://scribblybarkpoetry.blogspot.com.au/
I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.
http://scribblybarkpoetry.blogspot.com.au/
I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.
- Shelley Hansen
- Posts: 2224
- Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 5:39 pm
- Location: Maryborough, Queensland
- Contact:
Re: Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Awww ... thanks so much, Maureen! It's all down to your prompts, you know!
Yes, we've all known folk like this - so often we simply don't see below the surface of grey hair and wrinkles, do we?
Yes, we've all known folk like this - so often we simply don't see below the surface of grey hair and wrinkles, do we?
Shelley Hansen
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
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Re: Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Well done Shelley, you created a great tale with this one. A case of 'walk a mile in my shoes' story, and I'm sure we've all had that experience.
Enjoyed the read, nicely done.
We are not on the same path this month but I agree also that one never knows where the prompts will lead. Have a little bit of finishing off to do on
mine before I post.
Cheers
Ron
Enjoyed the read, nicely done.
We are not on the same path this month but I agree also that one never knows where the prompts will lead. Have a little bit of finishing off to do on
mine before I post.
Cheers
Ron
- Shelley Hansen
- Posts: 2224
- Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 5:39 pm
- Location: Maryborough, Queensland
- Contact:
Re: Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Thanks Ron!
Shelley Hansen
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
- Catherine Lee
- Posts: 1309
- Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 9:47 pm
- Location: Thailand
Re: Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Ah Shelley, this is excellent, as always! I was thinking along similar lines myself, but as Terry says, you have really nailed this one. It is so true that we just never know what people have experienced or are going through so need to always be mindful of this and not jump to conclusions. Well crafted, great use of the prompts, and with an important moral of the story included... Pat yourself on the back!
- Shelley Hansen
- Posts: 2224
- Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 5:39 pm
- Location: Maryborough, Queensland
- Contact:
Re: Homework WE 26/4/21 - Just a Poor Old Maid
Thanks so much Catherine! Certainly looking forward to your take on these fascinating prompts ... if the muse moves you!
Shelley Hansen
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com
"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")