Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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Might I have been a Coworker with Betsy Ross? If I were born in a different era And perhaps with a different chromosomal arrangement, I could easily have trained to be a seamstress. As a child, I participated with my father To work on the sewing machine (on which he taught my mother!), Creating a sail for my outrigger Grumman canoe. I later sewed by myself, a huge 15 foot sail Which I utilized to hold on my shoulder And sail on skates across my belov-ed Crystal Lake. Around that time, I taylored a seven foot kite Which, when inaugurated, Almost raised my little brother, John, off the ground! When first married to Maggi, who tragically died in Africa, I designed and made with her, while in Turkey, A completely round black cape with a hood! At any rate, it is clear I enjoy the art of sewing. To finish with Betsy Ross, Washington came to her, Proposing a flag with stars. Being of English Heraldic stock, he wanted a six pointed starred flag. So the story goes, Betsy replied that six pointed stars were very laborious, But with proper folding and one snip, a five pointed star could be rapidly formed. Do check out European stars (eg on coins) and see for yourself. At any rate, in a different time, I might have been mass producing five pointed stars! Frank Maurer 10 June 2024 0700 Hours.