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They Used to Say
Mary Ellen Shaughan

She was a hot young thing once,
a little wild, as they used to say.
Dated bikers and bass players.
Then she married a local boy
and raised a family.
Today she’s at the beach
with her grandchildren,
her short curly hair nearly white,
wearing a modest one-piece,
the tattoo of a faded blue
and green butterfly peeking out
from under one shoulder strap
& a delicate rose climbing
one ankle, confirming
what everyone used to say.

—
Mary Ellen Shaughan is a native Iowan who now lives in Western Massachusetts with her beagle, Zeke. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines and in a volume of poetry entitled Home Grown.

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Connecting by Glenn Pape
Walking at Dusk by M. C. Aster

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