Smoke rings poured out of the hollow tree’s mouth.

A nasty habit but one she couldn’t break. Simple pleasures.

And it would be the death of her from the inside out if she weren’t already dead.

The fire department came, cold water to quell the moldering. The hollow tree endures.

Mary has written prose and poetry and journaled throughout her life. In 2011 her essay, Cheating Death, won second place in Shelia Bender’s Essay Writing Contest. Currently Mary is preparing her memoir, Novice, for publication and working on a book of short stories.