by Suzanne Morris
The irrepressible
Mary Richards has
seized the cap she had
tossed in the air,
shined up her high brass
walking boots, and
temporarily stepped down
from her iconic pedestal
on Nicollet Mall at the
corner of 7th Avenue
in Minneapolis.
At the urging of
the Vice President and
the Governor, who
wholeheartedly agreed
nothing could be
Minnesota Nicer than to
have Mary on board
as a campaign adviser,
the 1970's TV character
who cheered women on
in the chase for their dreams
recognized at once
the meaningful encore
to her long-running
top-rated sitcom:
cheering on the first Black/
Asian American woman
in her quest for the
highest office in the land
right up to the
5th of November
when–God willing–
the VP and the Governor
will carry the day and
all the joy
into the White House
for the next four years.
Then, with parting advice
for the new President
to remember her example
Mary can climb up
on her pedestal again,
toss her cap
in the air, and
turn the world on
with her smile.
Suzanne Morris is a novelist with eight published works, and a poet. Her poems have appeared in several anthologies, and in online poetry journals including The New Verse News, The Texas Poetry Assignment, and Stone Poetry Quarterly. She resides in Cherokee County, Texas.