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Introducing Mabel Honeycutt (I) – by Michelle McEwen
Mabel Honeycutt is a character who has yet to find a home in a story. So far, her story is told in snippets: some sound like poems, some sound like songs, some like diary entries. The story will come.
Mabel Honeycutt pt. 1 (Mabel & Sadie)
My sister Sadie got off work early.
We sat at the kitchen table, talkin.
She asked about my lipstick.
The one she said was the color of dried blood.
I told her I got it from a drugstore back home.
She wanted to try it, so I let her. It looks good on her.
I told her to keep it. I have another tube.
~ Mim
Introducing Mabel Honeycutt (II) – by Michelle McEwen
Mabel Honeycutt is a character who has yet to find a home in a story. So far, her story is told in snippets: some sound like poems, some sound like songs, some like diary entries. The story will come.
Mabel Honeycutt pt. 2 (Mabel’s Uncle Zeb tells her about Daddy & Baby)
There was no love like the love between
Thaddeus “Daddy” Wells & Barbra “Baby” Simms.
They went by Daddy & Baby.
Baby came home one day.
Found Daddy on the flo’. Thought he was sleep,
but he was worse than sleep. Dead.
& what did Baby go do?
She ran down to the river
and jumped in.
That’s love, boy, I tell ya.
~ Mim.
Introducing Mabel Honeycutt (III) – by Michelle McEwen
Mabel Honeycutt is a character who has yet to find a home in a story. So far, her story is told in snippets: some sound like poems, some sound like songs, some like diary entries. The story will come.
Mabel Honeycutt pt. 3 (Mabel & Sadie’s Man)
I keep catching Ike (Sadie’s man)
watchin’ me.
Sadie keeps catchin’ him, too.
Ike narrows his eyes
when he looks at me
like he is tryin’ to read me
but misplaced his glasses.
~ Mim
Introducing Mabel Honeycutt (IV) – by Michelle McEwen
Mabel Honeycutt is a character who has yet to find a home in a story. So far, her story is told in snippets: some sound like poems, some sound like songs, some like diary entries. The story will come.
Mabel Honeycutt pt. 4 (Mabel & Ovello— the man she’s runnin’ from)
Ovello called me.
He said he shoulda known it wouldn’t last
when I kept my maiden name. Said
he’s a good man what deserves
a woman’s woman. Said he shoulda
listened to his mama
when she told him to leave me be.
He told me “gon’ on and run, Mabel.” Said
he’s better off without me anyhow
especially since I ain’t birth him
no boy babies. That’s when I hung up.
Guess I’m free now.
Introducing Mabel Honeycutt (V) – by Michelle McEwen
Mabel Honeycutt is a character who has yet to find a home in a story. So far, her story is told in snippets: some sound like poems, some sound like songs, some like diary entries. The story will come.
Mabel Honeycutt pt. 5 (Sadie & Ike)
Sadie stays up under Ike
like he’s gon’ up and disappear.
I wonder if she’s like that
with him when I’m not here.
You should see her always
all the time followin’ him
& if it ain’t with her feet
it’s with her eyes— all the time
staring at him like she’s seeing
him for the first time.
I can’t blame her, tho, ’cause
Ike’s got this look to him—
he’s the type I can see workin’ on a car
yet I can see him, too, with his lips
pressed up against a trumpet,
blowin’.
~ Mim
