The Other Story by Wendy Carlisle

Wendy Taylor Carlisle

The Other Story

Nobody thought it was a dream
And it wasn’t.
That year’s bumper crops were jilted lovers and Cochins,
Twelve months and nothing but
Tears and feathers. That year George
Paddled into the bayou to drown himself
And didn’t.
He kept his fortune and
His cook stove.
That year the waitress took off for Memphis.
That year Margie ate
Alone at Furr’s Cafeteria. Nobody
Wrote a will or a testament.
No one sent a letter home.

from The 2River View, 10.2 (Winter 2006)