I Muse on Mustard
Mercedes Lawry


Mustard is an oddly evocative word and was a popular color in the ‘60s. In fact, I made several pieces of clothing from mustard fabric. I especially remember a corduroy jumper. Oh, I loved jumpers which are not jumpers in Britain, but here in the US of A, they once defined me. Mayonnaise or mustard? It was always mayonnaise for me and it was French I studied in high school, not German, which was the language of some of my forebears but sounded hard and ugly when I wanted oo-la-la. I wish I’d taken Latin, was it offered? I can’t recall but every Wednesday the entire student body of Assumption School sang the Requiem Mass in Latin and that helped and later secured me the role of Margaret in “A Man for All Seasons” because I could pull off the Latin in the audition.  I had to wear a bolster which made me nervous, having to exit past someone on a riser because one swing of the hips and it would have been Chaplin instead of Thomas More and ethics.
 


​
​

About the Author: Mercedes Lawry has previously published short fiction in several journals including: Gravel, Blotterature, Cleaver, Gambling the Aisle, and Thrice Fiction. She was a semi-finalist in The Best Small Fictions 2016. For many years, she has  been publishing poetry in journals such as Poetry, Nimrod, Prairie Schooner, and others. Additionally, Mercedes has published stories and poems for children. 

---