Pris Campbell

Mr. Congeniality

Keep it short, he says when I ask him a question or share something. Not my feelings. Feelings take too much of his air space.  His feelings or mine. I can pare anything to three sentences now if I plot out my phrases ahead of time. He’s happy when the pines pollinate. Allergies often make me lose my voice. Notes are worse, though. Big print is needed for essential communication. If in the wrong mood he wads them up and tosses. Sometimes he yells. Those times I converse with our regular visiting Ibis, form my own Walden. I write my secrets in longhand, covering a sheet of paper, as safe as if they were locked up. One day I’ll write a poetry book about him. He’ll never know.

cloudy day
the thunder comes
as a blessing

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About the Author

Pris Campbell’s work has appeared in numerous print and online journals. She has also placed or had honorable mention in several competitions, including first place in the Marlene Mountain and the Sanford Goldstein 2021 contests, and has published nine books/chapbooks. A former clinical psychologist until sidelined by ME/CFS in 1990, she makes her home with her husband in Southeast Florida.