UAB Digital Commons (Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham)

White, Gail

PoemMemoirStory (literary 
magazine) 
Volume 15 Article 17 
2016 
Dame Edith Sitwell 
Gail White 
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 Part of the Creative Writing Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons 
Recommended Citation 
White, Gail (2016) "Dame Edith Sitwell," PoemMemoirStory (literary magazine): Vol. 15, Article 17. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/pms/vol15/iss2016/17 
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31PMS. .
Gail White
Dame Edith Sitwell
When you’re this ugly—not just plain,
But pigface ugly—soon your brain
Suggests that, like a circus clown,
You play it up instead of down.
Hence all that Byzantine brocade, 
The turbans piled like marmalade
On toast, and on one finger’s peg
A topaz like a robin’s egg. 
I clung to fame like grasping Death,
Wrote poetry and played Macbeth. 
I and my brothers read Facade
And thought ourselves as grand as God. 
Though no one’s mother, no one’s wife,
I made myself a charming life,
Regretting only—now and then—
My utter lack of charm for men. 


English

Dame Edith Sitwell

Johnson, Lauren

Memorandum (student 
professional writing magazine) 
Volume 1 Number 2 Article 6 
2013 
Perfecting Professionalism: College Skills for the Workforce 
Lauren Johnson 
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 Part of the Technical and Professional Writing Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Johnson, Lauren (2013) "Perfecting Professionalism: College Skills for the Workforce," Memorandum 
(student professional writing magazine): Vol. 1: No. 2, Article 6. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/memorandum/vol1/iss2/6 
This content has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the UAB Digital Commons, and is 
provided as a free open access item. All inquiries regarding this item or the UAB Digital Commons should be 
directed to the UAB Libraries Office of Scholarly Communication. 
6
MEMORANDUM
Perfecting Professionalism: College 
Skills for the Workforce
By Lauren Johnson
Too many times employers have accused today’s college graduates of lacking professionalism. Many superiors state that we do not 
communicate correctly, we’re habitually tardy, and we 
socialize in the workplace too much. Funny enough, 
they have a terms for doing it right: employability 
skills or soft skills. Having employability skills 
mean that you possess work ethic, which includes 
timeliness, attendance, and a great attitude. And your 
current career as a college student builds those skills 
for future interactions in a professional atmosphere. 
Students should use college to practice professional 
attributes expected in the majority of workplaces.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication is key. Especially when engaging in email 
etiquette. Your professor, much like your future boss, gets 
several dozen emails per day. This means you should keep 
your emails short and concise. Don’t address your emails 
with “Hey.” Greet your professor with professionalism, 
spell their name correctly, and use punctuation. You 
should always triple-check your grammar and wording. 
This doesn’t mean relying only on spell check. Before 
hitting send, read and reread your email to ensure it ’s not 
too wordy and that it makes sense. Your professor should 
not have to reread your email to decipher its meaning. 
And of course, don’t forget to frequently check your email 
account for a response as you may need to reply back.
PUNCTUALITY
Instructors expect you to arrive on time, and be prepared. 
When you’re late, especially on a consistent basis, this tells 
them that you do not respect the professor’s schedule. It also 
shows that you are unorganized, and that you don’t care who 
you inconvenience. Tardiness is a bad habit, and it should 
be one that you break before joining the workforce. Your 
future employer will not likely be as lenient or tolerable of 
it. So, do your best to get to your engagements on time.
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
Often times our instructors give us details and instructions 
to test our ability to listen or pay attention. An employer will 
expect the same of you. So, start listening to your professor 
and organize yourself accordingly. Most professors will have 
taken the time to prepare students with written instruction 
on all major assignments. Before beginning an assignment, 
you should read your notes and any details the instructor has 
provided. Also, it’s appropriate to organize your thoughts 
before starting an assignment. After reading the course 
materials, process what you have learned and perhaps write 
down a quick summary of what’s expected of you. Checklists 
are great, especially if the assignment requires many steps. 
This will ensure that you complete the assignment fully 
and correctly. Employers expect you to have organizational 
skills, so developing them during college is a priority.
ELECTRONIC DEVICE USAGE
With so many distractions, such as social media, texting, 
emailing, and so forth, it is hard to stay focused in a 
classroom. But just as your professor asks that you put 
phones, laptops and any other personal devices away during 
class, your future employer will likely also require the same 
during work hours. Unless you have specific circumstances 
in which you need your phone constantly near you, please 
put your device out of sight. Doing so will lessen the risk 
of distraction and will also show how much you respect 
not only your professor, but your future employer as well. 
These suggestions are only the beginning of gaining 
professionalism in the workplace. It is essential to 
habitually practice the art of communicating, reading 
and organizing yourself in order to do a job well done. 
This goes for the classroom as well as the office. 


Perfecting Professionalism: College Skills for the Workforce

Sanders, Sullivan

Vol. 2 Iss. 1, Fall 2014
19
David Hornbuckle: Creativity in Professional Writing
Within the field of writing there are 
several directions one can take. The term 
professional writing can often carry a 
connotation of structure and restric-
tion, which is a major underestimation 
of the field. Considering my major in 
professional writing and my interests 
in creative writing, I was relieved when 
I sat down with M. David Hornbuckle, 
UAB alumna with a Master’s in English, 
to talk about his windy track through the 
professional world of writing. 
Hornbuckle’s in-field positions fol-
lowing undergrad ranged from freelance 
journalist to technical writer and copy 
editor. Outside of his field, however, 
David kept his hands full working in 
bookstores, restaurants, landscape 
crews, and even leant a hand to a bee-
keeper for a while. His first real position 
of interest came when he “stumbled into 
a magazine job” down in Gainesville, 
FL. Starting as a sort of office manager, 
six months passed before he got a shot 
at something real – he became manag-
ing editor of the free monthly magazine 
which serviced Gainesville and Orlando. 
“Now this was a valuable experience,” 
he remarked looking back on his first 
impressions of that position. It provid-
ed countless lessons learned as his first 
position of responsibility as a writer. 
He later spent eight years as a technical 
writer for a company that he says, at 
first, was just a typing job. His path then 
led him to New York where he freelanced 
articles for various online publications 
writing and editing columns. 
Tritone Media published David’s 
first book, The Salvation of Billy Wayne 
Carter & Other Stories as a collection of 
short stories he’d put together in his free 
time, in 2009. This kind of creative writ-
ing has always been his passion, though 
he never anticipated it to be very lucra-
tive. Recalling the aftermath of his book 
being published, he says with a smile, “I 
never saw any money from it. Well, once 
in a while I’d get a check for 40 dollars 
in the mail.” His work led him to another 
technical writing job in New York for two 
years before moving back down south. 
Upon returning to Birmingham he 
earned his Master’s degree in English (is 
currently earning a Master’s in Educa-
tion). His work experiences have been 
much of the same since then – writing 
or editing pieces here and there for any 
number of publications. With a laugh 
he exclaimed, “If it involved words and 
getting paid, I’ve probably done it.” 
His next project was founding the 
Steel Toe Review, a local journal based 
here in Birmingham that publishes 
creative pieces – short stories and poetry 
for the most part. He says he always 
wanted to contribute to the literary 
community in any way he could; build-
ing a platform to publish and circulate 
creative works has become that con-
tribution. The journal has released 19 
issues online and publishes an annual 
print issue. Though the platform is for 
creative pieces, there can be no publi-
cation without technical writing, web 
designing, and copyediting – all of 
which fall under the professional writing 
category of skills. David does all copy for 
the website himself, he’s the chief editor, 
web designer, advertiser, and runs a 
“kickstarter” campaign every year to 
promote the journal. “I do a lot of things 
I would make an intern do, if I had an in-
tern.” The site is set up similar to a blog 
to keep the maintenance low, but there 
is still some HTML customization that 
goes in the site’s upkeep. Considering 
professional versus creative perspectives 
of writing, David admits, “I love adding 
to the academic conversation,” but, “in 
an ideal world, [writing creatively] would 
be how I spend my time.” He went on to 
explain the relationship between the two 
fields of writing saying “my experience 
as a professional writer has benefitted 
me as a creative writer.” He credits his 
abilities writing cover letters, working 
on his website, and promoting himself 
as a writer, all to his experiences in the 
professional writing field. 
Not only have the skills as a profes-
sional writer benefitted his creativity, 
they’ve allowed him to be creative. 
His jobs tech writing and copyediting, 
freelancing and web designing, have 
all afforded him the time and funds to 
facilitate his interest in writing creative-
ly. To put it all in perspective, David says 
the ability to write can allow countless 
avenues for employment, “If you have 
the skills to communicate with words 
then there is any number of things that 
you can do.” David’s résumé and curric-
ulum vitae stand as Exhibit A and B for 
this contention. 
So, if you’re one who would’ve said 
that professional writing is a boring or 
restricted field of writing, think again. 
Because behind every creative piece of 
writing is a set of professional writing 
skills that made reading it possible. 
by Sullivan Sanders


David Hornbuckle: Creativity in Professional Writing

Hamilton, Payton

Vol. 2 Iss. 1, Fall 2014
21
Exceptional skills in writing and graph-
ical design are necessary for aspiring 
professional and technical writers across 
all fields of work. If you hope to convey a 
specific message smoothly to a particular 
audience, your skills must be up to par. 
Even the most well established writers 
constantly strive to perfect their writing 
across all industries to properly advertise 
products. If you wish to improve your 
writing for your future career in Profes-
sional Writing, the following tips will 
certainly aid you in your quest to create 
quality content: 
Enroll in PW Classes
The Professional Writing Program 
offers students various opportunities 
to enhance their analytic, critical, and 
technological skills needed to advance in 
their career of Professional Writing. The 
University of Alabama at Birmingham 
prepares students interested in Profes-
sional Writing with the tools needed to 
write and create high quality documents 
to impress future employers. Taking 
Professional Writing courses will allow 
you to create a unique resume and port-
folio, and will not only help you develop 
unique web designing skills, but also 
gain experience as a technical writer. 
A professional writer will also be able 
to establish interest in their audiences 
and effectively create unique designs. 
Whether you wish to major or minor 
in Professional Writing, you will gain 
valuable writing, research, and designing 
skills needed to advance outside of the 
classroom and into a successful career. 
Understanding of Technology
As a professional writer, you must con-
tinuously be up to date with the latest 
computer software. Professional Writers 
Tips to Improve Your Professional Writing Skills
are always eagerly involved in all types of 
technical communication, varying any-
where from Microsoft Office and Excel, 
to Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Since 
Professional Writing is heavily influ-
enced by the Digital Age in which we 
live, a common knowledge of the online 
world is encouraged. Professional writ-
er’s jobs are, of course, to communicate 
and persuade their audiences. What bet-
ter way to communicate to your audience 
than a brief understanding of social me-
dia? Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, etc. 
are all valuable platforms to effectively 
reach your target audience. Technical 
communication will always be evolving 
and developing. As a professional writer, 
you must always remain knowledgeable 
of these changes to effectively connect 
with your audience. 
The PW Community
Familiarizing yourself with the friend-
ly community of professional writers 
around Birmingham will certainly 
enhance your chances of succeeding in 
this major. There are various student 
groups around UAB’s campus, for exam-
ple, the Professional Writing Club. The 
Professional Writing Club will help you 
get to know fellow students interested 
in the same field, as well as connect with 
professionals that will help you hone 
your skills outside of the classroom. 
Similarly, involving yourself in UAB’s 
student newspaper, Kaleidoscope, may 
be beneficial. Not only will you practice 
your writing regularly, but you will also 
become prepared for the professional 
world of graphical design and media. 
Additionally, looking into the University 
Writing Center located on the first floor 
of Mervyn Sterne Library will also prove 
helpful. UWC is available for students to 
help with any inquiries for any category 
of writing.
Notice Your Surroundings
As a professional writer in Birmingham, 
you will more than likely see various 
posters, advertisements, and general 
postings throughout the area. Taking a 
moment to study and read these designs 
will help improve your skills as a pro-
fessional writer. Whether some post-
ings are utterly ridiculous or, perhaps, 
mind-numbingly dull, you will learn 
from them. Not only can you begin to no-
tice these postings, but also notice brand 
names and commercials. Notice Compa-
ny names on the sides of semi-trucks or 
even silly t-shirt designs. Analyze their 
mistakes or take note of the intricacies of 
their designs to gain inspiration. Notice 
placement, contrast, and colors to aid 
you in your next project. Recognize the 
effects their designs have on your mind 
and how you remember certain patterns, 
layouts, and composition over other 
designs.
Practice Makes Perfect
If you wish to boost your writing tech-
nique further, know that practice is one 
of the most important elements needed 
to master your prose. Just by writing on 
a regular basis, your work will improve 
immensely!
by Payton Hamilton


Tips to Improve Your Professional Writing Skills

Martin, Rebecca

Memorandum 
Volume 3 Issue 2 Article 15 
2015 
The True First Impression 
Rebecca Martin 
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 Part of the Technical and Professional Writing Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Martin, Rebecca (2015) "The True First Impression," Memorandum: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 15. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/memorandum/vol3/iss2/15 
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directed to the UAB Libraries Office of Scholarly Communication. 
1 5
MEMORANDUM
The True First Impression 
By Rebecca Martin
The job search process can be daunting, especially when 
it comes to creating the perfect resume. Much attention 
is given to the content of the resume but the truth is that 
the appearance is just as important, if not even more so.
Having worked as a recruiting specialist for four 
and a half years, I know that appearance can put 
a resume on the top of the stack or the bottom, 
or sometimes even straight in the trash. The 
decision is made before a single word is read.
Think of it like this: you dress according to how you 
want to appear for a job interview. The same applies 
to your resume. Just remember that employers are 
people too. Having been one of those employers, 
I can give a little insight into the thought process 
employers take when looking at a resume: 
A resume that clearly did not take any effort says 
that you do not really care about the job you are 
applying for. If you do not put in the effort to 
write it, why should I put effort into reading it?
Time is money. So a first glance can tell if your resume 
is organized and makes the desired info easy to pick out.
Resumes are boring. They blur together. So a resume 
that catches the eye is more apt to be read first.
So what should you do? Start with a font. Times 
New Roman gets pretty old and really does not 
make an impression. Just do not go crazy; you 
want your resume to look professional. It is not 
the time to show your personality flair.
Use lines, bullets, and a border. Separate sections with 
lines then bold the title of each section. Bullets are great 
for listing information and making it stand out. Long 
blocky paragraphs are not likely to be read. Finally, a 
simple border can actually do a lot for the overall look.
Regent University has a great page that shows how 
they transformed a very blah resume to a better-
looking resume. While still very simple, you can see the 
transformation process and the difference it makes.


The True First Impression

Poe, Tim

Astarte 
Volume 6 Article 17 
1999 
Swimmer 
Tim Poe 
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 Part of the Creative Writing Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Poe, Tim (1999) "Swimmer," Astarte: Vol. 6, Article 17. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/astarte/vol6/iss1999/17 
This content has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the UAB Digital Commons, and is 
provided as a free open access item. All inquiries regarding this item or the UAB Digital Commons should be 
directed to the UAB Libraries Office of Scholarly Communication. 
Swimmer -Tim Poe 
29 
1
Poe: Swimmer
Published by UAB Digital Commons, 1999


Swimmer

King, Lydia

Astarte 
Volume 6 Article 33 
1999 
For Laurie 
Lydia King 
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 Part of the Creative Writing Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons 
Recommended Citation 
King, Lydia (1999) "For Laurie," Astarte: Vol. 6, Article 33. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/astarte/vol6/iss1999/33 
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provided as a free open access item. All inquiries regarding this item or the UAB Digital Commons should be 
directed to the UAB Libraries Office of Scholarly Communication. 
For Laurie 
We know the cliches about women 
and roses, but this is true. 
As I sit in your rooftop garden, 
on the bench that you built 
with your small, scarred hands, 
a shaft of city sunlight pierces 
the clouds like an iron nail. 
Your fingertips rasp canvas 
as you trace the heart, the spiral 
of petals m1furling. You capture 
the clean, white shaft of sunlight 
that glows inside the single bloom 
and sets it shimmering like blood. 
The muscles in your lean arms shift. 
Your hands swoop from palette 
to canvas as if you hear music. 
You hum to yourself, smudging 
slashes of red on the thighs 
of your carpenter's jeans. 
Across the city, between the grey, 
flat slabs of buildings, the river 
shimmers red. I wonder what protects you, 
Laurie, small as you are, woman like me, 
as the sun sinks, with clouds outstretched. 
If I had the strength to hold you, 
would we be safe? 
I follow the slope of your shoulders, 
specific, unbowed, as you frame 
a branch of roses between your hands. 
It 's not enough to paint you, wingless 
and mortal, with the scars that we share. 
I need the clean, m1broken lines 
to hold you, to capture your mind, 
hard and alive as a slender green 
stalk that arches, studded by thorns. 
- Lydia King 
61 
1
King: For Laurie
Published by UAB Digital Commons, 1999


For Laurie

Staff, PoemMemoirStory

PoemMemoirStory 
Volume 01 Article 2 
PMS 1 (Front Matter) 
PoemMemoirStory Staff 
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 Part of the Creative Writing Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Staff, PoemMemoirStory () "PMS 1 (Front Matter)," PoemMemoirStory: Vol. 01, Article 2. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/pms/vol01/iss2001/2 
This content has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the UAB Digital Commons, and is 
provided as a free open access item. All inquiries regarding this item or the UAB Digital Commons should be 
directed to the UAB Libraries Office of Scholarly Communication. 
no. 1 
2001 
copy 2 
iSEP 1 o 2007 
H " 
From MHS 
~RARY 
poemm emoirstory 
MERVYN H. STERNE UBPAAY 
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT B1RM1NGHAM 
!tftMtHOHAM, ALABAMA 35294-0014 
Number One / 200l 
I 
PS 
I 
50? 
w7 
P6io 
no, I 
~ oo / 
~:;_,, 
Copyright © 2001 by PMS poem/memoir/s tory. 
PMS is a journal of women's poetry, memoir, and short fiction 
published once a year in the spring. Subscriptions are $7 per 
year; sample copies are $5 with appropriate postage. Unsolicited 
manuscripts of up to five poems or fifteen pages of prose are wel-
come during our reading period (September through December), 
but must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope 
for consideration. Manuscripts received at other times of the year 
will be returned unread. For submission guidelines, please see 
our Web page at www.pms-journal.org, or send an SASE to the 
address below. All rights revert to the author upon publication. 
Reprints are permitted with appropriate acknowledgment. 
Address all correspondence to: 
PMS 
The University of Alabama at Birmingham 
Department of English 
217 Humanities Building 
900 South 13th Street 
Birmingham, AL 35294-1260 
FRIENDS OF PMS 
Patrons 
The Jemison Investment Co., Inc. 
The Community Foundation of Birmingham 
The founders and editorial staff of Astarte 
The School of Arts and Humanities, 
The University of Alabama at Birmingham 
The Department of English, 
The University of Alabama at Birmingham 
Vicki Covington 
Samantha Bonnie 
Friends of The University of Alabama at Birmingham 
Creative Writing Program 
George W. Bates 
Jerry Beason 
Randy Blythe 
Deanna Buford 
Robert Collins 
Tony Crunk 
Grace Finkel 
Linda Frost 
Randa Graves 
William Hutchings 
Clay Isbell 
Marilyn Kurata 
Ada Long 
Richard Peacock 
Rusty Rushton 
Ben Seale 
Lawrence G. Wharton 
Jacqueline Wood 
Editor 
Linda Frost 
Staff 
Delores Carlita 
Margaret Harrill 
Tina Harris 
Christina Hall Nettles 
Beth Turley 
Maria Vargas 
Contributing Editor 
Vicki Covington 
STAFF 
Technical Advisor and Layout 
Russell Helms 
Cover Design 
Michael J. Alfano 
CONTENTS 
Editor's Page 1 
poem 
Gayle Elen Harvey Three Moons 5 
J. M. H9lwerda Worst Things 6 
Lynne Potts Hospital Conversation 8 
Lynne Potts Years By Insects 11 
Sandra Kohler Envy 12 
Suki Wessling 2 Chinese Poems 13 
Marianna Hofer from The Private History ... 14 
Cheryl Denise Three Women . .. 16 
Judith Arcana In the Service we said 18 
Melissa Dameron Rachel 19 
Rynn Williams Water Witch 22 
Carol Ebbecke At the Pass Dam 23 
Sarah Kennedy God's Country 24 
Ann Fisher-Wirth The Heirlooms (1996) 26 
Linda Lancione Moyer Taking Over 28 
Ruxandra Cesereanu from Lunacies; XL VIII and L 29 
Diane Gage Owls 30 
Traci Slatton One Weekend . .. 31 
Louise G. Weld uncle frank lies in the parlor 32 
Louise G. Weld Charleston, South Carolina 33 
Virginia Schnurr Learning to Speak 34 
Jacqueline McLean 
Barbara O'Dair 
Amber Luzak 
Julie Grass 
Ruth Thompson 
Joanne Argento 
Cathleen Calbert 
Cathleen Calbert 
memoir 
Vicki Covington 
Colleen O'Brien 
Leslie B. Williams 
Emily Lyons 
story 
Kristine Hren Moe 
Sally Foskett 
Beth Dalton 
Madeleine Beckman 
Contributors' Notes 
Going Out of Style 
A Man on Each Arm 
returning the Javor 
Posing for the Artist 
The Beauty of Shells 
The Seminary in May 
Rules 
Afterwards 
The Cradle Roll 
Fit 
Nam Prik Kapi 
My Wake-up Call 
Orange Diamonds 
Love and Work 
Home Video 
Beach Days 
36 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
44 
46 
49 
59 
65 
71 
83 
86 
94 
100 
110 
EDITOR'S PAGE 
Every new literary venture needs a word of explanation. As 
it turns out, ours needs three: poem, memoir, and story. 
In 1989, University of Alabama at Birmingham professor 
Jim Mersrnann launched Astarte, a new literary magazine that 
as one former editor put it, celebrated the struggle of women 
and men to discover the plurality of their own beings, the mul-
tiple facets of which the goddess Astarte was a prime example. 
Jim retired last year and it looked like Astarte might retire with 
him, but instead it was reborn. Astarte is now PMS, the first all-
women's literary journal in the state of Alabama. In honor of 
Jim and all the editors and staff members who worked on 
Astarte over the years, we dedicate this first issue of PMS to 
them. Be sure to look for the poetry of Astarte's most recent edi-
tor, Melissa Dameron, in our premier pages. 
As a journal showcasing women's writing, PMS will main-
tain a broad focus, documenting what and how women write 
whether they're college professors or nurses, morns or novelists, 
journalists or shepherds tending real sheep in Philippi, West 
Virginia, or Missoula, Montana, or New York City, or 
Birmingham. We think PMS offers a pretty good sample of 
what matters to women writing today from satisfying sex to 
personal liberty to the way in which certain Thai dishes can 
ensure a woman's beauty-despite their ingredients. See what 
you think. 
Of course, you wouldn't be reading this without the help of 
many, many people, particularly the Jemison Investment 
Company (thanks Margaret!), Bert Brouwer and the School of 
Arts and Humanities at UAB, Marilyn Kurata and the UAB 
Department of English, Astarte, the Friends of the UAB Creative 
1 
Writing Program, and all our other private contributors (please 
remember that whatever opinions might be expressed here are 
not necessarily those of our supporters!). Michael Alfano donat-
ed his time and talent to our cover, Birmingham Poetry Review's 
Bob Collins was PMS's publishing mentor, Vicki Covington 
financially, emotionally, and aesthetically supported PMS (this 
last, with an original memoir of her own), and Russell Helms 
taught me everything I still don't know about desktop publish-
ing, as well as learned to say, "don't worry; it'll be fine," in his 
sleep. Beth Turley made many, many phone calls and typed 
many, many documents, Delores, Margaret, Tina, Crissy, and 
Maria offered much careful reading and many helpful hands, 
and the impending arrival of little LuMax kept me well on 
schedule. 
Enjoy what follows. It's a much more satisfying PMS than 
you're used to. 
Linda Frost 
Editor 
2 


PMS 1 (Front Matter)

Weld, Louise G

PoemMemoirStory 
Volume 01 Article 22 
Charleston, South Carolina 
Louise G. Weld 
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 Part of the Creative Writing Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Weld, Louise G. () "Charleston, South Carolina," PoemMemoirStory: Vol. 01, Article 22. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/pms/vol01/iss2001/22 
This content has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the UAB Digital Commons, and is 
provided as a free open access item. All inquiries regarding this item or the UAB Digital Commons should be 
directed to the UAB Libraries Office of Scholarly Communication. 
Louise Gwathmey W eld 
Charleston, South Carolina 
There is no solid mercy on this cribble 
of worn sponge. On Meeting Street, a sinkhole 
has swallowed half a car. At St. Philip's 
graveyard, shades mount the ripe stone . 
Blowfish and cuttlebone, cockaded 
woodpeckers drum hearts of pine. 
Groundswell and blister, hope is full 
of potholes. No one is late to church. 
The tide surges. When I stand in the wash 
I am not who I think I am. Ships 
float in the harbour, leering at the skirts 
of the city. The Wambah Swamp 
laps the backs of her legs. 
33 


Charleston, South Carolina

McLean, Jacqueline

PoemMemoirStory 
Volume 01 Article 24 
Going Out of Style 
Jacqueline McLean 
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 Part of the Creative Writing Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons 
Recommended Citation 
McLean, Jacqueline () "Going Out of Style," PoemMemoirStory: Vol. 01, Article 24. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/pms/vol01/iss2001/24 
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Jacqueline McLean 
Going Out of Style 
Philosophy aside, 
you look becoming, but after dinner 
darkness should always go down 
the front . In our last conversation, 
you said we no longer 
smoldered. You 
said peacock feathers 
and indigo blue dressing gowns are 
going out of style. Pardon me 
if I don' t agree. You and I are not 
a momentary thing. 
What about our stow-
away lunches? Our 
finger sandwiches and flights up 
ornamental staircases in moonlight 
because we both like to be led astray? 
And what about those tissue 
paper kisses and 
the cloche you bought 
for me in Paris so I will always look 
like Joan Fontaine when it rains? 
Call it wistfulness. Tangle me up 
in your purpling arms or 
your great-grandmother' s 
wisteria, but don' t be 
ashamed of my dimpling ripples, my 
flowing knees. Don't you know 
36 
that you will always be the matinee idol 
of my summer idyll? Darling, you 
coveted dancing 
in shadow where I 
looked more like a silver screen star. 
More like myself. And if 
I remember correctly, you were always 
bashful on Sundays surrounded 
by tea cozies and 
storm windows, 
though it rarely rains. And as for 
the current dilemma, shall I 
call up the therapist you recommended 
or simply order in Chinese 
and wallow in take-
out? You see, 
I've followed all of your instructions. 
There are radishes in 
the icebox and tinned sardines in 
the cupboard, and as for 
that volume of 
pensees above the fireplace, 
I've read it cover to cover. But 
I won't despair. Before 
I whisper 'goodbye' or finish writing 
this page, you'll be back 
with your tail feathers 
freshly plumed and 
a bottle of green chartreuse. Hear me 
out in entirety, and I'll leave 
the key beneath the bougainvillea, 
bring the dog in for the night, and 
keep the lamp light 
burning in my eyes. 
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