Once a long time ago two young girls collaborated, playing was not good enough.The most memorable business venture was a restaurant, the very appropriately named
"SHIRMAR" as these two young girls were named Shirley and Mary. A basement restaurant with folding tables, table cloths. People flocked to dine there, well more truly, sooner or later they were forced to humor them. Sadly the Shirmar was forced to close, due to adolescence and lack of interest.
Several years later, the two young girls went on their separate ways, marriage, kids, failed relationships, loss of loved ones, loss of each other. Somehow they found each other again, and time, experiences, pain, sorrow, joy and finally some peace did not seem to be an obstacle. The years apart served only to give them both a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other.
One thing they had always had in common was their love for art, whether it be words, the brush, a plate of food, they liked to create. They also shared a love for a woman named Patricia Joyce McCord Esworthy Carter, mom to Mary by relation, to Shirley by heart.
She encouraged us all, believed in all our dreams, shared our passion and in her eyes we were the most talented of artists. You could worry her but if she was ever disappointed it seemed she always turned it inward, probably too much.
It seems fitting that the passion she had for painting she shared with Shirley and her love for the written word she shared with Mary. So some 40+ odd years later, the SHIRMAR long gone, but the collaborators joined again.
My friend Shirley is a talented painter, capturing scenes which allow you to escape into your dreams of peace, sunlight and oceans. I write for those I love, I hope my words allow me to share feelings that I am not able to say, let others find their feelings. I hope I show the proper respect for Shirley's painting and Mom, for both of us, all of us. I hope I don't fall short.
Mom
I see an empty chair
And think of you
Sitting somewhere,
peaceful view
You never made a fuss
It wasn’t your style
Just a corner of your
own, little smile
You would watch
The goings on with
care
Center of attention,
not there
To be near the ocean
The dream inside
A part of you, ebb
and tide
Like many others
Dreams you let go
Put us before you, we
know
A passion for the
water
A talent with a brush
Life taking care of
us, a rush
Did we say thank you
Do you know what you
meant
Rescuing us
every time, life spent
The empty chair
It saddened me
You never got to
relax, the sea
Then I’d recall
Sitting next to you,
deck or yard
Look in your eyes, no
guard
The blue of your eyes
A reflection of ocean
hues
Content you seemed,
no dues
I keep an empty chair
It is for always for
you
I look at it, see an
ocean view
There is another
We take our turn, the
second chair
Thoughts, worries,
dreams, you there
Two chairs slightly
facing
Looking inward and
slightly out
That you are in one,
no doubt
