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Wednesday, December 19, 2018

BREAKING NEWS AT 6 O'CLOCK

by Sister Lou Ella Hickman


Drawing by Asia Johnson-Brimmage of MICDS for the 100 Neediest Cases campaign of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2018


                       so it begins
        insanity at its finest
                the mall clerk warns
        fa la la car radios blare
        during this most wonderful time of the year
                unfortunately not everybody gets the message
                and ads visualize all the latest must haves
        ring the salvation army bell
                    the newspaper blares those in need
                         while choirs come to sing
        assisted living   et al
        and a large screen cindy lou repeats this year to mr. grinch
         no one should be alone on Christmas
        of course donations are gratefully accepted
          who would turn down paying
        for a month or two
                  maybe even three of bills
                so it ends
        duty called
        answered
        with i did my part
        months later while vacation dozes
                july also marks the faces of the poor


Sister Lou Ella Hickman is a former teacher and librarian. She is a certified spiritual director as well as a poet and writer.  Her poems have appeared in numerous magazines such as America, First Things, Emmanuel, Third Wednesday, and TheNewVerse.News as well as in the anthologies The Night’s Magician: Poems about the Moon, edited by Philip Kolin and Sue Brannnan Walker, Down to the Dark River edited by Philip Kolin, Secrets edited by Sue Brannan Walker and After Shocks: The Poetry of Recover for Life-Shattering Events edited by Tom Lombardo. Last year she was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her first book of poetry entitled she: robed and wordless was published by Press 53 in 2015.