The Way It Was, 1910

Miss Ruth Baker gave a thimble party at her home
Saturday afternoon last
Samuel L. Clemens Succumbs at His Country Home
Quite a few pollock have been seen here but as yet they are not biting.
Special Sale of Handkerchiefs. Not a flimsy, good for nothing affair,
but a good handkerchief, easily worth 10c a piece.

They knew what mattered back then
those ink-stained news men at the
East Hampton Star.
A thimble party ranked above
even the death of an American icon.
And the ad men told it like it was as well –
no flimsy stuff for them.
Imagine Miss Baker and her lady guests
wielding their thimbles as they monogrammed
good handkerchiefs they bought on sale.
Perhaps they shed a tear for Clemens
and wiped their eyes with their new hankies.
Meanwhile, off shore, the wily pollock
frolic in the waves
saying Catch me if you can!

~ Sally Banks Zakariya

P O S T S C R I P T I’m in awe of how some hard cold journalistic news items became the inspiration for this delicious piece of poetic prose. Thanks Sally!