Category Archives: Scribblers Sharing Info

Mirror, Mirror

Folks at the Authors Showcase 2017 asked for this poem. Here you go:

Mirror mirror sculpture by Cheryl Bogdonovich

sculpture by Cheryl Bogdanowitsch

Mirror, Mirror

Part 1

 

The girl in the mirror

had big brown eyes

and white-gold hair

and I liked her smile

and I liked her song

and I liked her two feet dancing

so I

kissed her there in the mirror

kissed her right on the lips

kissed her fogging and smudging the mirror

but I didn’t care because

she was beautiful

and that was when

Mama walked in and something in her face

told me I was bad

and that was when she spat

“You are so conceited!”

and I didn’t know what conceited meant

but I knew that it was wrong

and so was I

and so was the laughing girl in the mirror

so I

learned to only look at her

sideways, in small pieces

an eye,

a lip,

her hair,

because that was the opposite of conceited

so then I was modest

and then I was humble

and Mama wasn’t mad anymore.

 

 

Part 2

 

Forty years later,

as I crossed

from one room to another

I saw in the mirror in the hall

something that struck me

as, well, sort of lovely

so I stopped and looked more closely

and it was the shape of the foot in the shoe

of a girl who is almost fifty

then I looked at her other foot in the other shoe

and it was lovely, too

so I noticed her shapely legs

and the curve of her hip

where the dress fell just so

and the cut of the bodice

flattered her small breasts

so I glanced at her neck

where the honey-colored hair

made a tender frame

for her face

oh, her face

should I, could I

look at her face?

and then I did. I

did. I

looked at her face

and it was the little girl

only older

and I loved the lines around her eyes

and I loved the tear that balanced there

and then spilled over

and I loved her cheek as the tears ran down

and I loved her whole face

so I leaned in close and I kissed her there in the mirror

kissed her right on the lips

kissed her, fogging and smudging the mirror.

Pearl is Available!

Pearl cover on Amazon

 

About PEARL:

A Jesus-loving, politically liberal, socially conservative wife and mother of two (plus a few) hears a surprising message from God and embarks on a broken and beautiful journey of obedience, humility and eventual empowerment that will have you laughing, crying, and cheering her on.

Launch Day is Tuesday, October 24th. Buy it in paperback. Buy it on Kindle.

About the Author:

Myra Katherine Hale’s train-wreck of a marriage has not dampened her ability to laugh at the beautiful mess that is her life. In her blog, “Raising Magnolias,” she shares her self-deprecating wit and unsolicited wisdom. A mother, step-mother, ex-wife, third and final wife, and “Mimi”, she owns a personal training studio in Fremont, Nebraska where she accidentally landed on her way back home to Southwest Arkansas. Away from work, this baseball mom, this dance mom, this very, very tired mom, polices four-way stops, shoots nerf-guns in the carpool lane, and tries to remember to cook supper. Now, for the first time, a former Miss Nebraska shares her in-depth story of heartbreak and hope in this engaging memoir.

Myra Katherine Author Photo

(Photo by Becky Novacek)

 

What readers are saying about PEARL:

“Read Pearl with pen in hand to underline, circle and star. Myra Katherine’s effervescence and authenticity in Pearl is full of enlightening gems you’ll want to resurrect as soon as you turn the next page.”

~ Courtney Hudson Goodson, Associate Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court

“Myra Katherine’s gift lies in seeing her deeply rooted faith, secure and unwavering even amidst some of life’s most adverse seasons, all the while inspiring faith in others. She has a contagious zest for life that is no doubt fueled by her hysterical quick wit and skill in finding humor in all things. Someone who has tasted and seen deep sadness, but exudes the ‘deeper still’ Godly joy – a living testimony to His goodness.”

~ Rachel Scott, mother, musician, worship leader

“Myra Katherine’s greatest gift to her readers is her honesty. With humor and humility, she shares the stories of her perfectly imperfect life, the heartaches, the frustrations, and the triumphs. So many women experience similar fears and doubts; Myra Katherine gives our struggles a voice and makes us realize we’re not alone. Pearl is a true treasure, a collection of her lessons, her revelations, her resilience, and, above all, her faith.

~ Suzy Morgan, English teaching, word loving, single mother of three

Myra Katherine’s writing is honest, real, hilarious, and hopeful. Pearl is a book that will encourage readers to keep fighting for the relationships that are closest to them.

~ Brian Stroh, Executive Pastor, Hillcrest Church

God has not promised us a perfect life in this world, but He does promise to hold us in the storm. May Myra Katherine’s words hold you tight as they point us back to Him.

~ Tarina Stroh, early childhood expert and Children’s Education Director at Hillcrest Church

“This is a Christian woman’s account of her divorce in a culture that doesn’t always welcome divorced Christian women. Myra Katherine understands that we are not offered ‘do-overs,’ only ‘do-betters,’ and her experience of recognition that ‘we mistakenly believe we must be whole before loving another’ is a reminder that we are each broken in our own way. She reminds the reader of the importance of humility and giving thanks while she writes to better understand God’s plan for her life.”

~ Melinda Coulter Taggart, Senior Network Process Quality Manager, AT&T

“Dive into this story when you have plenty of time to swim around in it, because you won’t want to come up for air until you’ve harvested all its pearls.”

~ Darlyn Finch Kuhn, author of Red Wax Rose, Three Houses, and Sewing Holes