Butterfly Lessons

By Betsy Bolger Paulet

Spent my morning coffee with your FLASHBACK (from Butterfly Lessons). So wonderful, the way your words spill out, so many grabbed me and would not let go 'till I pondered on them for a while. So many thoughts and feelings found home in your words! Thank you so much. “Castnetting Communion”, “Mothers and Daughters”, ALL of them really, touched me.“Advice to Kanti” will go with me today, as i find my place between all action!
Linda James
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Review of authors Betsy Bolger Paulet and Lee Paulet Citrus County Chronicle newspaper:

Let’s face it, summer in Florida parallels winter up north. This month, we stray from strictly musical items to look at a couple of recent publications. However these authors are equally fine musicians, so reading their poems and stories does not pose a great stretch from our (music) column’s stated purpose.
Betsy Bolger-Paulet and Lee Paulet have been my friends more than 10 years. I resumed playing music, after a hiatus, at Lee’s request, on his hauntingly beautiful “Florida Waltz”. They recently moved to Citrus County and we are richer for their presence. Shall we begin with Betsy’s gentle words? Her poetry blends charm, candor and immediacy in her book, “Butterfly Lessons” enfolding three earlier volumes. “Butterfly Lessons”; “Flashback”; and “Cracker Love” trace a poet’s growth emotionally and spiritually.

Here’s a couple of fine image excerpted from Flashback: (From the poem) “Melancholy”... Not because of anything gone wrong - Not grief --- Just there - Like a raindrop on a leaf....Betsy’s images work to magnify their context and contain a whiff of Eastern wisdom as is this “Advice to Kanti”: Attach yourself not - To the good action - Nor to the bad action - But, rather, to that place - Between all action....

by Jim Davis, columnist Citrus County Chronicle
(to read what columnist wrote about Lee Paulet, go to “Florida Cracker Boy: Tales of Misspent Youth”)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Betsy Bolger Paulet
• Release date: Oct 31, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465968951

Betsy Bolger Paulet

Betsy Bolger-Paulet,retired staff-writer for the St. Petersburg Times, is a proud 5th-generation Florida Cracker. Her father, Horace Collier Bolger's family settled Collier County. In a program known as Florida Songstory she performed with her husband singer-songwriter Lee Paulet in folk and music festivals and for several years coordinated the annual Will McLean Festival Best of Florida Poetry Contest and Stage. Active in area poetry circles, she conducted presentation workshops and with her husband several open mic programs and she was a an invited poet presenter at the annual Times Festival of Reading. Pres. Bill Clinton commended her for one of the verses in her "butterfly lessons" collection titled Sunday Afternoon TV at Mother Shucker's Bar Jan. 17, 1993.

Book preview

Butterfly Lessons

by Betsy Bolger-Paulet

a compilation of three poetry collections including:

Butterfly Lessons (1969-74)

Flashback (1975-89)

Lies in Conversation & Cracker Love (1990 - 1999)

Dedications:

To Prof. Jan Mendoza who inspired me to remember and in remembering to dare to dream again,

and to my husband J. Lee Paulet -- Thank you, Cracker Man, for setting this songbird free

butterfly lessons cover photo art by Don Stephen Spurgeon

copyright 1993, 2004

by Betsy Bolger Paulet

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: Butterfly Lessons

Sail Away

To a Straight Joe

Friends

To Mario, on Getting Chamorrow Man

Painted Windows

McMuffin Morning

Steppenwolf Bitch

Men!

November 8

Lady of the River

Beaux Lady of Orpheus

Shriek in the Night

Generations: Make a Rhyme for Teacher, Angela

To Bogie

Stevenson Creek

Happy Song

butterfly lessons

CHAPTER TWO: Flashback

Flashback

French Lady in Tommy's Garden Sings

Castnetting Communion

Gramma Lessons

Red Roe Sunday

Melancholy

People all around

Poet's Panic

Poet's Prayer

Prayer to the Divine Mother

AMothers and Daughters

To a Rose from a Stone

Coachman Creek Apartments

Vacation ‘92

C.A.M.S. Mirror

Late Night Discovery

Goodbye Yashoda

Misplaced Passion

Roles Reversed

Thanksgiving Day 1980

Affair with the Aussie

A Poet is TOO Honest

Recycle

Living with Teenage Girls

Bliss in Baggy Jeans

Prayer of a Veena Hanging on the Bedroom Wall

Music

Self

Catskills

Advice to Kanti

The Choice is Ours

Modesty

Butterfly Muse

CHAPTER THREE: Lies in Conversation & Cracker Love

Lies in Conversation

Different Management Styles

Letting Go

Lunch with Vickie

Haiku? from Tommy's Garden

Letter to Dr. Robert

Splayed Guts

Vickie Says: There are TOO Seasons in Florida

Coffeehouse Poet Preoccupied

Calvin's Story

CNN's Live Real Time War

Sunday afternoon TV at Mother Shucker’s Bar..Jan. 17, 1993

Ballad of Little Jackie

Simple Dinner Date:

Untitled Answer

Lifetimes

Letter to a Fine Artist, Strong Poet

Flowers in a Crystal Vase

Lies in Conversation

Poetry Night: St. Patty's Day Schizophrenia

WYSIWYG

Disattached

Stroll in Ybor after Slam Night

Now I understand Sylvia!

Poet Voyeur to Mythical Mystic

Cracker Love

Today I heard the Mullet Sing

Phone Call to Old Friend and Lover 14 Years Too Late

Prozac

Strong Tough Lady Asks

Open your eyes, It's morning

Butterfly returns

Love Offers No Choice

Lighthouse Mistress

Cracker Gal’s Song

Fool’s Gold

Addiction

Castnetting Lessons

Gut Reaction

A Pair o’ Poets

No Love Songs Here

Wedding Pledge 12/28/93

Cracker Love

I Follow My Don Quixote

Wise Words of the Comedian

CHAPTER ONE: Butterfly Lessons

Sail Away

Come away with me,

Sail the deep blue sea,

Come away with me, now.

Clear the harbor, step the mast.

Let's be on our way.

Mermaid swimming, tired of drifting,

Calls out for a rope.

Will you save her? Will you take her?

Will you give her hope?

Time is passing, all I'm asking

Is just to sail away.

Clear the harbor, step the mast.

Let's be on our way.

Time is passing, all I'm asking

Is just to sail away.

Come away with me,

Sail the deep blue sea,

Come away with me, now.

Clear the harbor, step the mast.

Let's be on our way.

To A Straight Joe

joe riley, you say i am running.

well, maybe you are right,

but i think it's just we see things through entirely different light.

i' m always game to listen,

of truth i have no dread,

so, tell me why you think i'm running

let me know what's in your head.

you see, joe riley, i hate to admit this,

but i'd forgotten about you.

been so long free,

in my word of timeless space,

and recaptured taste,

that i'd forgotten you still exist out there

in that other world of plastic food,

and paper mache existentialist,

where nourishment

for body or soul

comes from paper bag and centerfold.

but you came on strong

masters and johnson would have been proud

and kinsey would name you too.

but, i meant