Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems [Paperback]

Patricia Neely-Dorsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 2008

Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems is a true celebration of the south and things southern. The author states, "There are so many negative connotations associated with Mississippi and the south in general. In my book, using childhood memories, personal thoughts and dreams, I attempt to give a positive glimpse into the southern way of life." The book has been called, among other things, a poetic love letter to the south and a poetic autobiography. The author invites readers to Meet Mississippi Through Poetry Prose and The Written Word.

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Reflections Of A Mississippi Magnolia - Patricia Neely-Dorsey Reflections Of A Mississippi Magnolia Patricia Neely-Dorsey --Patricia Neely-Dorsey

About the Author

Patricia Neely-Dorsey is from Tupelo,Misssissippi. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. The author worked in the mental health field for almost 20 yrs in Memphis, TN before returning to her hometown in August 2007. Patricia lives in Tupelo with her husband James; son, Henry and Miniature Schnauzer, Happy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 90 pages
• Publisher: GrantHouse Publishers; 1 edition (February 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097962942X
• ISBN-13: 978-0979629426
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Neely-Dorsey is a 1982 graduate of Tupelo High School in Tupelo, Mississippi. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. After living for almost 20 years in Memphis, Tennessee, working in the mental health field, she returned to her hometown in August 2007. Her first book of poetry was published in February, 2008 (Grant House Publishers).

Patricia currently lives in Tupelo with her husband James,son Henry,and Miniature Schnauzer, Happy. She is a proud, active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.,an avid reader and passionate writer.

Patricia says that she has always considered herself a "Goodwill Ambassador" for Mississippi and the south.

She says that she believes that we can bridge many gaps of misunderstanding across regional, racial, cutural, generational and economic lines by simply telling/sharing our stories

The author hopes , through her writings, to have an intimate conversation with readers about the south... giving an upclose and personal view of the southern way of life.

Using poetic storytelling, she seeks to not only, entertain , but also, educate and enlighten, while helping to preserve the beautiful, rich southern culture, history and heritage that she knows, along with promoting and fostering an appreciation and understanding of the importance of cultural diversity, individuality, self expression and regional pride .

Neely-Dorsey describes her work as "folk poetry" attempting to preserve the culture and customs of everyday folks in everyday life.

Reflections has been called a poetic autobiography and a poetic love letter to the south. The author agrees with both.

Patricia Neely Dorsey's Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems is a true "celebration of the south and things southern." The author states , "There are so many negative connotations associated with Mississippi and the south in general. In my book, using childhood memories, personal thoughts and dreams, I attempt to give a positive glimpse into the southern way of life. I try to show that there is much is more to Mississippi and the south than all of the negatives usually portrayed .I invite readers to Meet Mississippi (and the south) Through Poetry ,Prose and The Written Word."

SOUTHERN LIFE
If you want a glimpse of Southern life,
Come close and walk with me;
I'll tell you all the simple things,
That you are sure to see.
You'll see mockingbirds and bumblebees,
Magnolia blossoms and dogwood trees,
Caterpillars on the step,
Wooden porches cleanly swept;
Watermelons on the vine,
Strong majestic Georgia pines;
Rocking chairs and front yard swings,
Junebugs flying on a string;
Turnip greens and hot cornbread,
Coleslaw and barbecue;
Fried okra, fried corn, fried green tomatoes,
Fried pies and pickles too.
There's ice cold tea that's syrupy sweet,
And cool, green grass beneath your feet;
Catfish nipping in the lake,
And fresh young boys on the make.
You'll see all these things
And much, much more,
In a way of life that I adore.
Copyright 2008 Patricia Neely-Dorsey
from Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life In Poems

www.patricianeelydorsey.webs.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming Home, May 17, 2010

By 

Sheila Joy Hutcherson (Lauderdale, MS) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems (Paperback)

I was priviledged to purchase this "little book of poems" first at a book-signing, and to hear many of them read in the authors own musical voice. I must say that as I read the remainder of her poems, it was her voice that I heard intoning the words, her soft Mississippi accent hitting the syllables just right, playing like a haunting melody from yesteryear in my head.

I am a native Mississippian. I know exactly of what the author writes. I have lived it. Mississippi flows through my blood in ways that are nearly inexplicable, and yet, Neely-Dorsey has largely explained it through her poetry. Reading her poetry is like coming home to myself. No gloom and doom here. No head-scratching, dictionary-hunting,"what-the-heck do they mean by that?" poetry. Just straight from the heart and memory, in an easy rhyming fashion that anyone from youngsters to older folks can read, understand, and delight in. There's beauty, as in "Mississippi Morning", humour and wit, as in "Shades of Lovely", and state pride, "Mississippi Through and Through". My personal favorite, the achingly deceptive, "Right To Vote", written in her typical lighthearted manner, chronicles the bitter struggles blacks went through for that right. It moves me each time I read it, and I read it again and again.

Poetry is a lyrical means of expressing oneself. I would say Patrica Neely-Dorsey has made an excellent start.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book of poems for the Hill Country, March 14, 2010

By 

William T. Thornton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems (Paperback)

Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia: A Life in Poems by Patricia Neely-Dorsey (GrantHouse Publishers, 2008).

A review by Terry Thornton

(...)

It was a pleasure to read Patricia Neely-Dorsey's collection of poems, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia: A Life in Poems. Neely-Dorsey presents perhaps the most positive view of growing up in Hill Country of any current author I've found --- she is Mississippi first, second, last, and forever! She is a true Hill Country resident and her life experiences are lovingly recorded in her most readable poems.

Not only do her poems read with a voice of true Southerness, her poems are also pleasing to hear --- I think that some of them are best heard as songs of the South. Many of her poems caused a smile to form and some even caused me to laugh out loud. But it was the ones which caused my heart to sing that I'll treasure most along with the ones which caused tears to form in my eyes.

Reading Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia: A Life in Poems was an emotional experience for me. Neely-Dorsey's accounts of her life experiences are so vivid and so true to the region that what she writes of Lee County, Mississippi, could be universal events throughout the Hill Country and elsewhere. She came of age some twenty-five years after I did and she was across the vast racial divide many erroneously think defines Mississippi. Her experiences and memories, however, recorded as poems paint an accurate picture of hill country living as I too remember it.

The solid foundation for life which Neely-Dorsey received parallels the foundations which most parents were building all across the Hill Country --- and no matter that her life experiences were from Saltillo and Tupelo, they are remarkably similar to those of Parham and Splunge. And we are all the better for having these shared experiences which Neely-Dorsey explains as "having Mississippi in us."

My greatest surprise (and the greatest comfort) found in Neely-Dorsey's book is that those of us blessed by having Mississippi in us are more alike than different. She writes with a clear voice for all Mississippians --- and the fact that she writes from the black perspective in a positive and loving way about her family, community, and region makes her book required reading.

The hardest task for me was to select three of Neely-Dorsey's poems as representative of her book -- so I selected four. Her recollections of country living paint compelling memories of country breakfasts and cures and of slopping hogs, cooking cracklings, hog killings, pea shelling and going to church for preachings. Her account of a "Baptismal Sunday" brought back many memories of Parham Pond and standing on Jordan's stormy banks watching friends and neighbors be submerged in the water. It was most difficult not to select a poem from that section of her work.

Further, it was difficult to not include her "Shades of Lovely" in which all of the hues of women of color are described in the most delicious terms: honey, spice, brown sugar, brown rice, nutmeg, cinnamon, gingerbread and toast, pecan, almond, walnut, coconut cream, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, toffee, coffee, coffee with cream, coffee black, espresso, mocha, cafe an lait, banana, licorice, hot fudge --- did I miss any? One cannot read "Shades of Lovely" by Neely-Dorsey without smiling!

But the following four poems were selected because of my interest in preserving and presenting the history of the Hill Country. The first two poems presented below, in my opinion, offer a little slice of history and viewpoint not widely available and the last two presented offer an explanation of how Mississippi gets in a person (Rules) and what it means to be a Mississippian.

Country Doctor

by Patricia Neely-Dorsey, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia, page 30-31.

My dad was a country doctor

And I have such memories galore;

I even remember the house calls,

As he literally traveled 'round door to door.

Sometimes, on Saturday mornings,

When I was just a young thing;

My daddy would let me go with him,

As he did all his doctoring.

He'd have his black bag in one hand,

And his stethoscope wrapped 'round his neck

He was most definitely the captain,

And I was his first man on deck.

We traveled way deep in the country,

And there were always such sites to see;

Believe you me, I noticed them all,

Down to the last bumblebee.

I'd always meet really kind people,

As I stayed close by my daddy's side;

He'd always give my introduction,

As he stood there beaming with pride.

Many of the people had no indoor plumbing,

And most of them were all very poor;

So my daddy would let patients pay him,

With whatever it was they'd procure.

Sometimes, he took brown eggs or slab bacon,

Fresh vegetables, hams and the like;

All of this was so amazing to see,

For me as such a young tike.

The old women, he'd always call "young lady",

But old and young all addressed him as sir,

We'd make so many stops on our journey,

I'm quite surprised that it's not all a blur.

I remembered learning about all of these people,

And all of the crops that they grew,

Each time, I'd learn something different,

Each time, I'd learn something quite new.

My eyes would grow wide with excitement,

As I saw all the animals and stock;

We'd see so much beautiful scenery,

As we'd drive to our next door to knock.

My dad had such a busy schedule,

I can't imagine how he got it all done;

All I remember is I loved tagging along,

And all I remember is fun.

Right to Vote

by Patricia Neely-Dorsey, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia, page 53

I love to hear the stories,

That my mama and daddy tell;

Sometimes, we'll just sit a while,

And they'll talk for a spell.

They've told me of how hard it was,

For them to get to vote;

They'd go down to the courthouse door,

And there would be a note;

"Out To Lunch" or "No One's In,"

"Come Back Another Day,"

In all kinds of ways you wouldn't believe,

They were turned away,

Even when they did get in,

There were more hurdles they had to cross;

They'd be asked to answer questions

That would put anyone at a loss,

"How many bubbles in a bar of soap?"

"How many pennies in that jar?"

"How many miles to a star?"

It seems almost incredulous

That this was how it was;

But, believe you me, no matter what,

I vote, now, just because.

The Rules

by Patricia Neely-Dorsey, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia, page 6 - 7.

Most Southern folk have rules we're taught,

From when we're very young;

And most of us throughout our lives,

To these rules have clung.

Life can be much easier,

When you know what to do or not;

And you're sure to learn a lot of them,

If Southern parents you have got.

One of the first rules you come to know is

Children are to be seen and not heard;

It's best if you just sit down somewhere

Quietly as a bird.

You always say "Please" when you're asking,

And "Thank you", when you receive;

You address all your elders

As "Ma'am" or "Sir",

And if you don't do it, you'll grieve.

Don't touch anything in the store,

Keep your hands to yourself;

If it's not something you plan to buy,

Leave it soundly on the shelf.

Always say good morning,

Soon after you awake;

And always greet people pleasantly,

If friends you are to make.

Don't slam a door as you walk out,

"You don't live in a barn;"

You'd better close it gently,

Is what they'd always warn.

If you open a cabinet or anything,

Always close it back;

Once you do it repeatedly

You'll always have the knack.

Don't call someone before 8 a.m.,

Or after ten at night;

If it's something you feel you must do,

It's an urge that you must fight.

Never ask for food when you visit,

Although the host may ask;

Sometimes it's best if you decline,

And let the moment pass.

These are just a very few of the things,

We Southerners are taught;

Without some rule for every occasion,

We are never caught.

If Mississippi's In You

by Patricia Neely-Dorsey, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia, page 86.

If Mississippi's in you,

It'll always be that way;

It matters not how far you go,

Or how long you stay.

If Mississippi's in you,

It always plays a part;

In how you live and move and breathe,

And in every notion of the heart.

If Mississippi's in you,

It's in you through and through;

It's who you are and how you be,

And it's in everything you do.

If Mississippi's in you,

There is some special glow;

A different something down inside,

That all the home folks... Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings back memories!, December 30, 2009

By 

Martha A. Cheves (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems (Paperback)

I don't think I've ever picked up a book that brings back as many memories as Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia. And the memories were all good memories. It made me remember growing up in the south and participating in the activities the poems represent. From the "Partyline" which talks about growing up with a telephone number shared by others, to the "Baptismal Sunday" which took place in a pond instead of a baptismal pool, and on to the "Making Cracklins" which I can still see my grandmother doing.

I have many favorites in this little book of memories but two that touched me the most were "Shelling Peas" and "Slopping Hogs." These two poems really took me back to my childhood while growing up in the south. So, if you are a Southerner and would like to awaken some memories of when life was more laid back, this book is a must read. If you're not from the south, reading Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia will let you see what you missed. For me, this is a book I'll cherish forever.