Paul M. Kelly Books
From My Heart, Soul, and Mind was written in a two year span, initializing with the death of my closest friend. This book is dedicated to him. This collection of poems shows a great variation of emotions - love, grief, soul-searching awe, and simple happiness. I believe the collection, in comparison to Changing Sky, gives a rounded story of a young adult fighting with fate.
LAST WORDSThis comedy takes place in an exclusive nursing home. Miss Larson, frustrated at being surrounded by people who neither understand nor appreciate her or the things she loves, has taken to speaking in nothing but quotes of the last words of famous people. Although the clear intent of this strategy is to give all who encounter her the impression that she is senile, and thereby afford her some peace and quiet, we understand from the outset that it is a cry for attention - the right attention. A young man, Greg, meets her while waiting for his lover, who is considering the nursing home for his father. He figures out her charade and why she indulges in it.MOTHER'S DAYAt the start of the drama, Mother appears to be the recipient of parental abuse, but as the play unfolds, we discover that her middle-aged daughter must deal with a troubling situation - how to care for an elderly parent determined to commit suicide. It's Mother's Day, again, and time is running out. Mother wants her daughter Marian to understand and assist her so she can end it all before her son Jimmy comes home to visit. For Marian, every day is Mother's Day.
The action takes place in an apartment building in Chelsea, a trendy enclave of lower Manhattan. As the play begins, a memorial service is in progress, honoring the memory of the landlady, Mrs. Birchmire. Her tenants, seven gay men, recall their beloved friend through a series of lighthearted vignettes. The characters come from the audience and walk to a podium center stage and, as they remember their happiest times with Mrs. Birchmire, they move from the podium and into the memory scene.The scenes in this two-act comedy are snapshots frozen in time about a strong-willed woman who inspired her tenants to be themselves. They present a group of individuals who are open and affirming, and who treasure and value their experiences with her. Their relationships become enhanced and accentuated. Their words become honest and revealing. Their lives become illuminated, lightened, and meaningful in a play that promotes the luminous values of understanding, concern, and friendship.