07/29/2026
In the marble playing alleys of Memphis, Tennessee, 1934, marble shooter’s wife Lulu Mae Carter raised kids and marbles that both rolled if you shot hard and both needed shooting soft or they were lost and got to be shot again and again and again.
Her husband shot marbles that became wins that became marbles that became money that became rent that became gone that became marbles again that became wins again.
Lulu raised chickens that ate marble dust and laid eggs she traded for steelies and for a teacher who taught her boy to shoot marble not kid because her boy fought over marbles that were wins and needed shooting and not punching and shooting and not punching and shooting.
Their boy raised a dog named Marble that herded marbles and kids and did both badly and ate one marble and pooped it and got it back and shot it again because dog forgets and marble rolls and rolls and rolls and wins and rolls.
Lulu said, “You raise boys to fight with marbles not fists and girls to watch and bet, and both lose if you punch and both win if you shoot straight and shoot straight and shoot straight and shoot straight.”
When the school banned marbles, they kept one marble and kept chickens and kept going because alley still had marble circle chalked and trusted Lulu’s boy’s shot that was straight and won and won and won.