1909

It was a long way to go

To the friend's house,

So she,

Hattie,

And Marjorie

Dressed themselves like cloth bells

And swung with each step

Through the snow.



She had not slept much the night before--

When the fireside is warm

And the wine is good

There are more uses than one for a lady's scarf;

But today she talks of cobblers and cows

To Hattie

And Marjorie

Because, after all,

Friends, too, can warm a woman's heart.



It was a long way to go,

From the morning to the evening--

She grew tired

And her feet got cold.

Eventually, her friends

Hattie,

And then Marjorie,

Went their own way into night across the snow.

I cannot see my foot tracks anymore, she thought,

No helpful light yet drifting from the sky;

I cannot feel my fingers,

Nor my slowly quieting heart...

I cannot feel...

I cannot feel...

I.

________

for Magpie 49

Dedicated to my grandmother, whose name was Marjorie. You are missed.

_________