Lucy Cortese

Author: Lucy Cortese

Living my personal mission statement, “Each One, Teach One,” my greatest blessing is being the mother of two, grandmother of three and a lifelong educator. A graduate of UF and UNF, I am the former principal of St. Paul’s Catholic School in Jacksonville Beach, Florida and executive director of Tree Hill Nature Center in Jacksonville. Since retirement my avocation is now my vocation – freelance writing. The technical writing of past professional life evolved into more creative genres of poetry, short fiction and memoir. My goal is to invoke the entire spectrum of human emotions in my reader: longing to laughter, pain to promise, despair to discernment.

Garden Spaghetti House

Sepia-colored images on the wrinkled photodissolve the faded smiles and blurred features of my parentsproud Italian immigrants standing in front of their new establishmentfirst-time restaurant

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PROM PROMISES

us: Dance, dance, dancehim: Pretty Womanme: My Guyhim: Baby, I need your lovingme: Can’t buy me lovehim: The times they are a’changingme: I want to

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JOHNNY DAZE

Setting: Johnny sleeping in bed. His mother enters the bedroom. Mother: Johnny dear, Time to get up and get ready for school. Johnny: (he turns

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SUNSHINE STATE CHRISTMAS

YULETIDE IN FLORIDA, WHAT A SIGHT TO BEHOLDTEMPS IN THE 80s WHILE YANKS HAVE FREEZING COLDNO WHITE STUFF FALLING, PALM TREES ALL GREENBLIZZARDS DOWN HERE

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WINGED WISDOM

“She’s in heaven with the angels,” I responded to my grandson’s question about the passing of my mother. Weeks later when the three-year-old returned from

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ONCE A MAN, TWICE A CHILD

Old age recycles the bodyInfant once pink turns blueNature recalls with rapid speedTo complete life’s circle anew Fuzzy hairs on baldy topSteps and thoughts are

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ARBOREAL LAMENT

Icrywe diewe stood talldaily we all fallmy friend the mighty oaktrunk and limbs lying brokeleafy forests now burn and slashcrumbling into mounting piles of ashsmell

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CASINO CRUISE CATASTROPHE

Flying saucers, toppling chairs, seniors stumbling everywhereBottle rockets full of rum and Jose Cuervo shooting into air St. Johns angry, choppy, spitting, each white cap

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AGING ACRONYMS

BMI on the rise LDL way too highTIAs confirmed by CT tests & MRI EKG says HR fast while BP is crashing CPAP for REM

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GEORGIE AND ME

Bump, Bump, Thud. It was the worst landing I ever had in this time machine. The hatch popped open and flung me to the ground.

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Ghost Of Christmas Past

Twas two weeks before Christmas and all through the house Water standing in puddles Mama starting to grouse Three pipes in the floor had all

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Upcoming Events

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Ponte Vedra Beach, Beaches Central
October 17, 2024
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October 17, 2024