Feature: S. Thomas Summers Day 3

First Memories

1

A beige bowl heavy
with cottage cheese
and a dollop of grape jelly.
A strange, solemn eye.
On a counter speckled gold,
it considers me.

2

Daddy wears his gold bars,
his fancy hat with an eagle.
A gray-blue ship takes him away.
He waves with the other men.
The air feels thick
like the air above my bath.
Tastes like pretzels.

3

A bird – frantic
in the fireplace.
Its wings bat against
a chain curtain
separating my afternoon
nap from its prison.
I stash scarlet
feathers in my Bible.

© S Thomas Summers

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Q&A

Q:
How have comic books influenced your writing?

A:
Comic books were my first adventures, my first escapes. I still enjoy sinking into a comic book: Superman, Batman, etc. I also love wielding a light-saber, piloting a starship, and running through a jungle with Indiana Jones.


Q:
Name your three favorite pieces of literature and why.

A:
Frankenstein – I wept for a monster. In doing so, I decided not to become an accountant and became a literature lover and teacher.

The Hobbit – I am Bilbo Baggins. We all are. I am nobody, the quiet one who can do great things. I can fly, gripped in an eagle’s talons, and chat with a dragon. Guess that means I can do anything.

The Bible – I have a tremendous faith in Jesus Christ. He is my father, my brother, my friend. Spending time in the Bible is spending time with father, brother, and friend.