Thursday, August 29, 2024

MARY ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

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.