I’m rather addicted
to Solitaire
(the Klondike variety)
never on a PC or Mac
but always on an
iPad Mini tablet
One of these
(I have two) is
usually with me
when I am not
on a computer
I use them for
e-mail
Facebook
Instant Messenger
calling home (with Alexa)
and Solitaire
I use Solitaire
whenever there
is a break in
whatever else
I am doing and
I continue to
play until I reach
the next level of
Games Won
My mother
taught me to
play Solitaire
as a kid and
it has stayed
with me
Whenever I
move a bunch
of cards to free
a card to move
to the stack
I think of my
long-gone mother
It’s my way of
keeping in touch
John F. McMullen is Poet Laureate of Yorktown, NY, member of American Academy of Poets and Poets & Writers, author of over 2,500 columns and articles and 10 books, 8 of which are collections of poetry), and is host of an Internet Radio Show (300 shows to date) — www.johnmac13.com.
In his poetry, John McMullen shares his authentic self (and brings us to ours). This poem leads us to an unexpected yet identifiable place – our Moms, our memories. I’m into Solitaire as well, not quite addicted, and hadn’t, until now, connected my natural attraction to the card game with those times with Mom, and to my own history with the glossy-coated paper cards spread out on the table before me.
John McMullen has a way of moving us with his unique poetic voice. The title alone, Solitaire, leads us to imagine a person sitting alone (John) enjoying the game or one who is ready to make a move in the game (of life). We ponder too and just when we are about to imagine and turn over the next card, he reveals his past, and the wonderful memories with his mom…we too feel the longing for our own mom; I recall the endless nights playing solitaire with my mother, especially the game Pounce. In John McMullen’s Solitaire, it is evident, Mom is forever the Queen of his Heart. John surely is a master of his craft.