9-25-2025 12:46am

Kathy Kirk Challenged by Broken Equipment, Offers Plans Forward

Lesley Misko Editor

"Barely There" watercolor by Lynn Millar

Editor’s Note: Area writers were invited to submit poetry and/or prose to Studio B Art Gallery’s summer project “The Three Bears.” Writers were challenged to respond to the meanings of the words “bear” and “bare,” the Bear Fever sculptures or an aspect or theme from the fairy tale “Goldilocks & the Three Bears.” Their poetry and prose responses have been published in The Boyertown Area Expression. We hope you enjoy the wide-ranging responses to the challenging theme.

Crooked Compass
~ Kathy Kirk

Bearings have been lost
We can barely see the light
North is upside down.

It bears repeating…
We can barely bear it now
Too much weight to bear.

Can’t bear it alone…
Together we can bear up.
Fight for what is right.

A*PART
~ Kathy Kirk

Apart, we’re alone.
Join in to become a part
Of something bigger.

Dyin’ Refrigerator Blues
~ Kathy Kirk

Hey, Mom…

The milk is pouring chunky,
The ice cream’s really soft,
It's smelling kinda funkyu
Sumpthin’ sort of off

We got the blues!
We got the blues!
We got the dyin’ refrigerator blues!

The cheese is growing blue fuzz
The meat is slimy pink
And when I open take-out
I pass out from the stink.

We got the blues!
We got the blues!
We got the dyin’ refrigerator blues!

It's time to bit the bullet
It's time to spend some dough
A trip to the appliance store
Is where we need to go.

We got the blues!
We got the blues!
We got the dyin’ refrigerator blues!