“The flame and the Icicle”
By Regan Crute
Once upon a time there was a flame and an icicle who fell in love but found themselves in quite a pickle.
You see the closer the little flame crept the more the icicle wept, and more the icicle cried the more the flame died.
The icicle she knew that such a love would not fair, but the little flame loved her and didn’t care.
Please give your warmth to someone new, this will never do she cried, but his feelings the flame could not hide.
So higher he crept to near her side until her last tear she cried and in a heap of ash he died.
Thus tragically ending the affair of the flame and the icicle.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Mulligans"
By Chris Meier
Such an uncomplicated concept
with such a whimsical,
musical name even.
Teeing off in golf,
hitting from the rough,
fairway, sand-trap or
other hazard
mis-hits and whiffs
occur occasionally.
Mistakes are made.
Mulligans mitigate.
They are do-overs,
allowing for second chances,
unconditional forgiveness.
They are a means to keep
things fun and light.
So here's an ode to Mulligans:
May they live long and thrive
on the tee, fairway, and green.
May they be accepted as readily
as coupons for decaf coffee in the
grocery store.
May they be welcome in hospital
waiting rooms, automobile repair shops,
classrooms, living rooms, gas stations,
highways, city streets, country roads,
bedrooms, boardrooms, kitchens,
temples, mosques, churches,
lodges and huts.
May they forever remain
par for the course --
from the first to the final
stroke of every human heart.
"I am a writer and former high school English teacher working as a writing tutor at Nicolet."
