Karen Blomain

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=120 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0ec8dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>FootHills Publishing 2009</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FootHills Publishing 2009"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FootHills Publishing 2009"><U>FootHills Publishing 2009</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Books 2009"><U>Books 2009</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Laury A. Egan"><U>Laury A. 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Undaunted </div> <div> by an egregious blizzard </div> <div> of dashes, the trite phrase, the faulty</div> <div> pronoun referent, I read about a cat </div> <div> who lives in a nursing home </div> <div> and sits vigil, somehow sensing</div> <div> when a patient nears death. How? </div> <div> How does the end of anything announce</div> <div> itself?  For instance, how do I know </div> <div> it's time to leave off judging for a while? </div> <div> To attend to the innumerable beauties </div> <div> of the flawed and awkward. That </div> <div> just as it is, the world is already all right. </div> <div> When my granddaughter bobbles </div> <div> to the surface of the pond </div> <div> and asks me for the hundredth time</div> <div> to rate her little chicken body dive</div> <div> I say, “10-a perfect 10,” even if, </div> <div> she reminds me, her legs shouldn't splay  </div> <div> and there should be no splash.</div> <div> Flipping long strands away </div> <div> from her eyes, she accuses, </div> <div> “It's always 10 with you, Honey.” </div> <div> And I say, “Finally.” </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Poet, playwright, novelist, editor, and visual artist, Karen Blomain, lives in Scranton Pennsylvania and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She conducts writing workshops across the US and in France, Ireland, Russia and Mexico. Hard Bargain is her third full-length collection. In addition, she has three chapbooks of poetry and extensive periodical publication. Her novel, A Trick of Light, was optioned by Barbra Streisand's Barwood Films.  The play, An American Wife, which she co-authored with her husband, writer and photographer, Michael Downend had its Equity premier in 2007. </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="167fba70.jpg" border=0 width="251" height="167" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> HARD  BARGAIN</div> <div> is an 80 page hand-stitched  paper book w/spine.</div> <div> $16.00</div> <bR> <div> TO ORDER  ON-LINE                               </div> <div>       </div> <bR> <div> From the US or Canada        <form target="paypal" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/sc-but-01.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!"> <input type="hidden" name="add" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_cart"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="fhp@foothillspublishing.com"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="Hard Bargain"> <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="09-07"> <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="16.00"> <input type="hidden" name="no_note" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="USD"> </form>  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> From Other Countries            <form target="paypal" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/sc-but-01.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!"> <input type="hidden" name="add" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_cart"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="fhp@foothillspublishing.com"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="Hard Bargain"> <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="09-07"> <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="16.00"> <input type="hidden" name="shipping" value="5.00"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="USD"> </form>  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >      </FONT></div> <bR> <div>      <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ordering By Mail"><U>To order through mail click here.</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>