swim good

Martin Lewis, Relics (Speakeasy Corner), 1928. Drypoint.

Relics is his most celebrated etching, incorporating all of the aspects that make his prints such cherished glimpses into New York's bustling yesteryear, while simultaneously capturing the timelessness of city life. This was Lewis's most popular print during his lifetime too. He sold out the entire intended edition of 100 soon after its completion, and it remains one of his most sought after prints today.

The oldest Little Red Schoolhouse (1696), The Voorlezer House In Historic Richmond Town, Staten Island, 1950s.

Small Town English Teacher

In your town, former students sling your drinks, snap your x-rays, and report your news on TV. You hold their secrets because you remember their essays.

One returns from combat, homecoming party at the airport, and you know he only joined up because his mom was ashamed of him. You remember the essay.

One dies from an opioid OD and you know about the man who groped her at work and how she told his wife. You remember the essay.

One smiles and wins an award and you know her drunk dad pushed her mom into a wall. You remember the essay.

One closes her eyes halfway in the mugshot and you know she worked in assisted living and once brushed a dying woman's hair. You remember the essay.

- Jessie Lovett Allen

(c) 2020 by Jessie Lovett Allen

Jessie Lovett Allen teaches reading, writing, and literature at North Platte Community College in western Nebraska. She holds a doctorate in Literary Education from the Univerity of Wyoming. She can be reached at Jessie.lovett.allen @ gmail. com or @ jesslovettallen