December 16, 2011

Poetry Friday--The Cure

There is absolutely no other response to the following except a big smile!
The Cure
by Ginger Andrews

Lying around all day
with some strange new deep blue
weekend funk, I'm not really asleep
when my sister calls
to say she's just hung up
from talking with Aunt Bertha
who is 89 and ill but managing
to take care of Uncle Frank
who is completely bed ridden.
Aunt Bert says
it's snowing there in Arkansas,
on Catfish Lane, and she hasn't been
able to walk out to their mailbox.
She's been suffering
from a bad case of the mulleygrubs.
The cure for the mulleygrubs,
she tells my sister,
is to get up and bake a cake.
If that doesn't do it, put on a red dress.
I think most readers will figure out what "the mulleygrubs" is from the context, but, if you'd like to learn more about the word, click here. It's the perfect word for this poem, and isn't a red dress the perfect cure? I love this poem, it is so down-to-earth!

Now go have a piece of cake, then visit your favorite Book Aunt, Kate, for the Poetry Friday Round-Up.

Photo courtesy Huzzah Vintage.
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9 comments:

  1. Julie December 16, 2011 at 3:16 AM

    I will try this cure next time I get the mulleygrubs (which seems to happen around Feb. 1 each year in Seattle!) That's a perfect red dress, Diane.

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  2. Robyn Hood BlackDecember 16, 2011 at 9:31 AM

    What a perfect new (to me) word! I can't wait to use it. I'll remember the cure, too - cake and a red dress. Thanks, Diane!

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  3. Robyn Hood BlackDecember 16, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    PS - My word verification was "undrug" - that just kind of seemed to go with the post.

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  4. GatheringBooksDecember 16, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    I recalled this sculptor friend of mine who mentioned that if he can't make his sculpture big, he'd paint it red. :) Lovely poem.

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  5. Linda BDecember 16, 2011 at 11:07 AM

    You're quite right-big smile. I shall use the word 'mulleygrubs' often from now on & remember not to whine too much, remembering Aunt Bertha.

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  6. Diane MayrDecember 16, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    Thanks everyone, I was kind of hoping everyone liked it as much as I did!

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  7. Mary LeeDecember 17, 2011 at 7:16 AM

    HA! It worked! I got to the end of the poem and laughed out loud!! (and also vowed to be like Aunt Bertha)

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  8. Joyce RayDecember 17, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    Great poem, Diane! I'll try to remember "The Cure" but I'll have to get a red dress into my closet. Love the word 'mulleygrubs'.

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  9. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 7:49 AM

    Love it! (Though with a seasonal job at Target, a red dress doesn't hold much appeal at the moment:>)

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