Note that this poem was written pre-pandemic.
Muthah Tongue
G' mohnin Sue, It's 9 fohrty. Just wanted to let ya know that all yah brothahs ah heah. Ryan, Sean, and Kevin ah ovah. Kev'll call ya latah. He just got a new numbah. What a beautiful Sunday! Thair's a family of cahdinals outside flyin' heah, theah, and everywheah. That was a really smaht idea to plant those flowahs in tha front yahd. Whenevah I see buttuhflies in that gahden, they remind me of you. I know you're still a little undah the weathah but I'm glad to heah yah feelin' bettah. Hope you'll come ovah soon. Yeh fatheh just put the cah in the shop. You know the one- on the cohnah ovah by the Dunks, next to wheahh the Lil Peach useta be. It should be ready by tamawroh. Probly just needs a new stahrtah. They'll need to ordah the paht. I had a few questions foh ya that I'm hopin' you can ansuh. So give me a call when you get a chance: tahnight or even tamawrow. There's no presshah, whatevah's easiuh. Was wonderin' if you could help me write a shoht lettah to Kevin's teachah Mistah Cottah. Just a pehmission slip really. Hope yah havin' a nice day In Hahvahd Square. I'll be in Dohchestah with Gram in about an owah. Probly stop by Stah Mahket on the way home to get somethin' fuh dinnuh. Thinkin' a gettin' a haihcut before next weekend. Might get it feathahed. Ah you goin' to cousin Mahk's Fahthah's Day pahty at the Beach Coma next Satuhday? Haven't seen him since Eastah. Remembah? That's when he showed us those Halloween picchures of his daughtah dressed up as a caih beah? She's adawrable. What a sweetheaht! I'm lookin fohwahd to the pahty. It'll be nice to see each othah again. Should be a fun summah get togethah- a bahbecue right on the watuh. I think I'll make those BAHs- those 7 layer bahs that my sistahs like. They said they came out wicked good last time. Yestahday mohning, I ran intuh Mahgret Cahtah and Gahth Bahker with Doctah Harhvey Pahker from Cahney at Gahvey Pahk right on the cohnah. They were talking to Fahthah Petah. Anyway, kiddie. Give me a call when ya get a chance. Just wanted to talk to my favorite daughtah. Love to talk to ya latah. Love ya, Mah
Little Things
It was so silly, she’d never share it. Never tell that she kept the tiny piece of paper in her backpack pocket. The curled scrap of just their names that they’d drawn together like magical dragons when they first started dating. Probably wouldn’t mention its neighbor either- how she’d kept the miniscule Christmas card celebrating their first year together. Like twins, she carried these treasures as she traveled about hoping the future would deliver more fragments.
About the author
Suzanne O’Toole is a Boston-based spoken word poet who plays the voice of Theresa Clarke on the space-themed time-traveling show Solutions to Problems and the Honorable Margaret Fly on the surrealistic podcast Wait Wait Don’t Teleport Me!! She has featured at Stone Soup and the Cantab Lounge. Her poetry has been published in The Canton Citizen, Canton Writes (volumes 2014-2020), and Oddball Magazine. She welcomes acting, voice work, & spoken word opportunities and can be reached at suzanne.m.otoole@gmail.com.
DIY MFA 