One Word
Finally a blue sky day
And you do the wash!
Then you go and hang everything
Out on the line, a place reached
Through two feet of snow, rotten
Ice and a pathway I shoveled
Colorful wash all day
Blowing in the wind
At dusk you go pick
Dry clothes off a rope —
For a moment your billowy
Red skirt, violet sweater
Bright long hair blowing
In the same breeze
I come to help as
You hold one garment up to
Your face breathing in the
Fresh wash and all you
Say with a smile is
“Woodsmoke”
That’s Her
doing farm chores, lugging
water she hikes through a field
of wet grasses in high boots
old pants & cap, a red tee
shirt she slept in & much
earlier in bed I raised this
& kissed her kissed her
Treasure
it’s snow
falling
into her
hair
pail of
grain
pinning
onto a
heavy
wool
shirt
walking
back from
the hen
house
eggs
inside her
mittens
Egg
Morning light of falling snow
We went outside and did our work
Shoveled out dog huts
Opened a trail to the chicken shed
Busted ice from water buckets
I was sweeping off long metal sheets
Over the woodpile when you said
— see how this feels — and in your
Gloved hand you held the flesh of
A warm egg to my icy cheek
————————————
BOB ARNOLD
I'm In Love With You
Who Is In Love With Me
Longhouse 2012
