Big Bands

Something about my mother, 

Mary Etta

Late 1950s to early 1960s

When I think of my mother,

I remember how much she liked 

her Billy Vaughan and Floyd Cramer records,

but when she listened to Glenn Miller or Harry James

she swayed in ways that seemed unmotherly.

Sometimes I would catch sight of her when she 

danced with the broom rather than sweep the floor.

I felt like I should have covered my eyes.

It was awkward, so I’d go outside and play.

But when I returned, she would be humming

one of the band tunes, and the delicious aroma 

of fresh baked cookies filled the house.

In that moment, with a mouth full of cookie,

the world felt right side up.

From: Memories and the Things Left Behind:

A Non-linear Recollection

Unpub. MS p. 45