— Coffee Break —
Stop to smell the flowers
(just don’t touch)
By Cynthia Sabelhaus
And then it was spring… Is it just me, or
is time running on fast-forward? I still have a couple remnants of
Christmas I keep planning to put away…soon. But the cacti are starting
to bloom, and we’re still at least a month away from our first
100-degree day.
With all this emerging life, it’s hard not to think about
losses, and what it all means. I lost my brother earlier this year. He
was too young to die. Too healthy. Too full of life. And he had too many
things to live for. Yet he’s gone. As I watch all the buds spring forth
and hear the quail call to their mates, the hurt intensifies. He’s
missing this spring. He won’t see his youngest daughter graduate from
high school or his oldest graduate from college. I have no satisfying
end to this story, and it bothers me. There’s nothing to be done but put
one foot in front of the other, keep going, but stop to smell the
flowers from time to time and appreciate the world while I still can.
On the other hand, in the desert, it’s best not to stop too
long. The rattlesnakes are coming out of hibernation. The Gila monsters
are seeking a warm rock on which to sun themselves. My first spring in
this house, I marveled at the variety of cactus flowers. I decided to
pick a ‘bouquet’ for the kitchen table. It didn’t work out, but I had
free entertainment for days—picking the hair-like needles from my hands.
Everything in the desert seems barbed or capable of biting and stinging.
I’ve learned to appreciate from a distance.
Our annual fiction contest guidelines are included in this issue. I
hope you’ll enter. Although Calliope is a very small publication, I
think our fiction is top notch, and entering the
contest is the best way to get your story accepted for publication
whether or not you actually win.
We have a lot packed into this issue. I apologize to Jerry Airth
for moving the poetry from a dedicated page to various spots through-
out the magazine. Continue submitting your poetry to Jerry at
CalliopePoets@comcast.net.
Sandy writes about blogs in this issue. I find the whole idea of
people creating web pages and blogs and wikis and other venues a
mystery. Everyone seems to be looking for validation—or lots of people
have WAY too much time on their hands. That said, I know my column is
blog-like. My only defense is that I’ve been writing it since before the
term ‘blog’ was coined and before many of the bloggers were born. What I
don’t understand is why we have so few comments on the Forum page of our
web site. You’d think a group brought together for their love of writing
would…well…take every opportunity to write. Are you too busy blogging?
If so, tell us where.
We actually have letters to share in this issue. It’s been
several issues since that was a fact. I hope you’ll take some time to
write us a letter, post something on the web site, or enter the fiction
contest. The year is relatively young. Maybe this is the year you push
your writing to the next level, whatever that may be for you.
Thanks to all of you for continuing your memberships in the SIG.
To our new members—Welcome! While we’re leveraging our synergy to
achieve (sorry, I forgot I wasn’t at work—hehe), stop and smell a flower
or two—just don’t touch them if you happen to be in Arizona.
Keep writing. Smile. It’ll fool ‘em.