The writing and photography of Mandy Joy Poole
Picture this. You’re walking down a freshly groomed trail in winter, it’s a crystal-clear calm night, just below freezing. Your breath dissipates in the air. It smells like Christmas and it reminds you of exactly that. It reminds you of when you were a kid, full of awe and excitement about the morning you got…
The mist lingered on top of the water for 15 minutes longer today. He took another sip of coffee and rocked slowly in his chair on the front deck of the cottage they once coined their poets nest. He thinks back to a time when they would comb the shoreline every Friday for debris released…
The sunlight tangoed across the dusty dashboard. Her fingers tapped to the tune of “Crazy,” by Patsy Cline. “No one sings it quite like you Patsy,” she said aloud to no one in particular. Her window was down, the dirty western air clambered in to greet her skin. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showin’…
No one could find the edge of her heart – truth is, there were no edges. The love she had for everyone and everything was infinite.. and it was reciprocated. I don’t know of anyone who wasn’t in awe of her – just by the presence of her. She had that special something that no one else ever…
I caught you eyeing me too many times to count, and all I could do was smile. Looking back now, did you ever think the girl you met at the corner of death and disaster would make you this happy? You sit awkwardly near the wood stove. Your socks drying from that mornings trek for…
The night fell like a black cloak surrounding the bay. The snow glistens on the mountain tops from beneath the glow of the rising moon. A polar bear and her two cubs creep quietly across the barren land, glancing carefully to and fro for predators and prey. The darkness will keep you here, if you…
How gracefully your fingertips touched the brim of my glasses Pulling them gently as to not disturb the hair on my forehead. That was the gentlest you’d ever been. The sun beat down and paraded itself in through our kitchen window Creeping slowly across to the spot where I sat, Shoulders against the cupboards toes…
I was thinking tonight, as I was trying desperately to fall asleep, about a skidoo trip that my Dad and I took when I was 14-15 years old. We took a three hour run to Red Bay, Labrador from St. Lewis. Our intention was to pick up my Aunt’s new skidoo, but we got a…
I feel the need to make comment about a recent situation that has made national headlines. A 14-year-old boy from Makkovik Labrador who went missing on his snowmobile and was found frozen to death on the ice. From what news organizations have been reporting, when this boy had gone missing his parents instantly began a…
As far back as I can remember my grandfather Hubert carried an old wooden and brass handled knife in his pocket. Often times I would see him sitting outside widdling a small stick with it ( or scratching at his fingernails ha ha). That pocket knife, sadly, belongs to me now. My grandfather passed away…
I was thinking tonight, as I placed an overflowing amount of towels in the washer, how good we really have it. I know, I know, the topic isn’t new, but can you really see yourself washing clothes with a wash-board and pail? Can you really see yourself wringing out pants and shirts until your knuckles…
By Mandy Poole * this article is also featured at mindyourmind.ca on the ‘community’ blog section. Each day the human body conducts an effortless amount of tasks almost unnoticeably. We awaken, we use the bathroom, we cook ourselves breakfast and we get ready for work or school. Somewhere in the midst of the day we…
Nurse in Charge By Mandy Poole ST. LEWIS – With a population of about 220 people, St. Lewis is home to three grocery stores, a single gas station, a post office, an all-grade school, a crab processing plant and the St. Lewis Clinic. Inside that clinic is Victoria Paul. Paul is an outport nurse who…
This is where I come from, this is who I am. I was raised here until I was four years old. My parents were forced to relocate to St. Lewis, Labrador, so that I could get the medical attention I needed (I had seizures as a kid). They also wanted me to go to school…
Broken promises: Egyptian woman believes Mubarak falls short as leader By Stephanie Tobin and Mandy Poole Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s refusal to step down from his position has caused protests throughout Egypt and sent shockwaves through the Middle East. Mubarak’s 30-year reign has been riddled with controversy concerning preferential treatment of specific groups of people…
My very first published story in a Newspaper. This is the Troubadour magazine/newspaper that circulates around Newfoundland and Labrador’s highschools, colleges, hospitals, government buildings & more! Keep an eye out for it. I’m page 23 🙂
