originally posted by Jean April 24, 2009

When I was in grade school, we had one choice for
our beverage during lunch. Milk.
White milk in a glass bottle with a cardboard disk
pressed into the neck of the bottle to seal it.
The seal had a half-moon perforation that had to be
pried up in order to insert the paper straw in the bottle.

When I was in first grade the milk cost 2 cents a day.
A dime for the week.
By the time I got to eighth grade (this was before Junior High
and Middle School were invented) the milk cost 5 cents a day.
Highway robbery, wouldn't you say?

Friday lunch was always special because we had two choices
that day. Plain old white milk or CHOCOLATE milk.
Need I say which one was the choice for most of us?

The food they served in the cafeteria on Friday was different, too.
This was a public school but, they didn't serve meat on Friday.
This made Mom happy because she raised us Catholic and, back
then, Catholics didn't eat meat on Friday. Ever.

So, one Friday we might get a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl
of tomato soup. Another Friday might be tuna casserole or a
tuna salad sandwich. Dessert was usually fruit or pudding.

To this day, if I get a craving for any of those foods listed above,
I automatically think of chocolate milk.
Today, in the grocery store, I decided I wanted the fixins for a
good tuna salad tomorrow. Friday. I also made sure to grab a
bottle of chocolate milk. Plastic bottle, unfortunately. Oh, well.

I think I remember Thursday was spaghetti day.

originally posted by Jean Nov 9, 2009

Wandered the beach very late afternoon,
wanting to see the moon rise.
While waiting for that, studied the rest
and composed and poeticized.

Wind frothed the breakers, square-danced
with the gulls. Candy clouds punctuated
the sky. Not a glimpse of a glimmer of
lunar peculiar jiggled the night swath
descending. A shrug and a slump then
turned course westward, resigned to a
glitterless eve.

Moon face smiled, "You could have seen
the moon but you gave up too soon. I'll be
back in December but will you remember?"

originally posted by Jean Dec 16, 2025

There is no god.
There is no god to damn.
Just life.
Damn life.

originally posted by Jean Oct 11, 2007

…and there was nothing in the heart but pain.
For, sorrow was pain. Fear was pain.
And love became pain.
The heart was shrivelled.
The scars were memories.
It was no way to live, so it died.

submitted by Jean

Words and artwork by Jean

Happy Valentine's Day