Mike Freeman

Freelance Writing: 'Drifting: Two Weeks on the Hudson' (SUNY Press), 'Neither Mountain Nor River' (Riddle Brook Publishing)

[Melinda @twenty4may]

Gratitude for Autumn Leaves, Walking

Today, in my silence,
I can hear late September
speaking with New England tongues to my open hands.
Gratitude blossoms in colors; green and yellow,
early russet and flaming orange.
Thanking you again, Divine,
Mother and Father of the cycles
that root and sustain us,.

With each step I
move, awed, into my dailiness,
soles crunching last
season's clothing into the hungry
ground.
--Melinda Coppola

[Melinda @twenty4may]

AOOLE DAYS

Don’t groan. There is room
for another apple poem.

No one is counting how many
have been penned, sung,
stamped into books and magazines.
There is no quota
for recipes
with or without the skins,
tart and sweet, red and green,
that glorify
the juicy firm insides,
palest yellow
around their seeds
which radiate like tiny
tear shaped chestnuts
from mysterious beginnings.
Yes, I’ve picked them.
Traipsed up and down manicured rows
of trees, deceptively stout,
prolific.

I’ve washed them lovingly,
held some in my cupped hands,
marveling at their perfection.
Some I’ve eaten whole,
others sliced, arranged artfully
on small white plates
to entice my he and my her
to partake.
I’ve baked my share of crisps and pies,
made thick, pruney compote,
rendered sweetly honeyed ones
into cakes that nod
to autumn
and Rosh Hashanah.
Truth is, after my gall bladder
became medical waste—
quite needlessly, I now believe—
after that
my romps with raw pommes de terre
were over.
For years
I could not digest them
unless cooked beyond reason,
mashed to runny sauce
that bore little trace
of their glorious beginnings.
Then I discovered digestive enzymes
which made miracles happen
between my gut and the apples.
Those grainy, odd tasting chewables
arrive, now, in dark jars
and by subscription,
so my apple days may continue.
Perhaps I should poem of them—
"An Ode to Cellulase and Amylase,
Protease and Papain"
Might that bring readers galore,
all rushing to chew on my earnest words?

--Melinda Coppola

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@The_Big_Quiet Finally had time for your YR piece. Loved it. Just terrific stuff. Will share it with friends here. Their daughter got a comparatively late diagnosis at 13 and it’s had a positive effect on all of them.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@evornithology They eeked out a .500 season for him.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@Srirachachau Doubt Lifetime will be picking up the rights.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@rhodyknowsbest Spent the afternoon walking all over it. Perfect day in a great city.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@evornithology Just bananas how small neotrops are. Found a DOR parula this spring and it barely seemed substantial. That they fly so far twice a year makes it triple bananas.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@seeshespeak Astonishingly beautiful state. Such a different feel than the equally gorgeous Greens Mountains.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@MattGertz Ignore the fake news haters, Congressman! Stay strong!!

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@drvolts Twitter had a hell of a day at sea yesterday.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@BobbyBigWheel Some mighty prescient replies to that tweet.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@JuliusGoat Guessing the NYT will go with ‘embattled gadfly.’

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@aliner Tidy little description of parenting tbh.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@proffwolff The Spouter Inn

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@ashleyrattner Tisbury’s finest harpooneer.

[Jane Coaston 🏔️ @janecoaston]

If you say the words "historic parking lot" with your actual mouth you should turn to salt on the spot.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@HollyPelesky Grace 2024

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@theliamnissan They’re not without a point though, Liam. Ok, hear me out - Dark Man II: Geriatrica

I mean, right?!? Ok. Call me.

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@JaneMayerNYer i see

[Mike Freeman @mkwfreeman]

@SarahTaber_bww Ol’ Jeremiah Johnson there really stepped in it.