Melissa Watkins Starr Part of a haiku series written on the Depression era
Huey
where'm I gonna work
in Fries, Virginia except
this dern cotton mill?
Bobby
come break time I'll buy
me a pack of Lucky Strikes
off the dope wagon
Annie
heat is dangerous
you need to see the foreman
he's got salt tablets
Edna
work the fields 'til noon
how sweet a ripe tomato
tastes straight off the vine
Nina
two threadbare dresses
one slip, one bra, a shawl, shoes
all the clothes I've got
Joy
walking beside me
his eyes track other women
he don't hear me speak
Irene
cherry blossom cups
pink patterned glass premiums
sparkle on my shelf
Melissa Watkins Starr is currently
enrolled in the MFA program at Warren Wilson College. She resides in Portsmouth,
VA, with her husband Brett. A former reporter, Starr now works as a
freelance writer and editor. Her publication credits include: The Poet's Domain, an anthology of poetry;
Voices on the Wind; The Greenleaf Review; The Lighthouse;
The Washington Times; Real Estate Today; The Daily Press;
Hampton Roads Magazine; The Blotter; Tidewater Women; In
Good Company, an anthology of short stories; and Feminine Writes, an
anthology published by the National Association of Women Writers.
Melissa Watkins Starr is currently
enrolled in the MFA program at Warren Wilson College. She resides in Portsmouth,
VA, with her husband Brett. A former reporter, Starr now works as a
freelance writer and editor. Her publication credits include: The Poet's Domain, an anthology of poetry;
Voices on the Wind; The Greenleaf Review; The Lighthouse;
The Washington Times; Real Estate Today; The Daily Press;
Hampton Roads Magazine; The Blotter; Tidewater Women; In
Good Company, an anthology of short stories; and Feminine Writes, an
anthology published by the National Association of Women Writers.