Wednesday, December 8, 2010

MAGPIE/ Prompt #44

                                        photo/ willow/ Magpie Tales #44


SLEIGH RIDE

It looked like a hill to me,
a cement sidewalk slanting down to Lydig.
In the summertime I skated
beside the apartment buildings,
starting atop Brady Av,
speeding along Wallace,
passing my building on the corner,
and stopping to unbuckle my skates
for an ice cream when I reached Good Humor.

The metal wheels came to a stop
when I fell or bumped into one of the old ladies
folding her wooden chair,
even sometimes my very own grandmother,
chair in hand yelling, you're going to kill yourself,
who goes so fast, are you crazy?
All in English and Russian and
what was she talking about?

But when the snow piled on the sidewalk,
just around THE HOLIDAYS!!
I pulled my sled out of the creepy storage bin
in the basement of my building,
heard a noise that sounded
like my heart beat
in that pile of Mama's junk.

I grabbed the wooden sled,
caught a splinter right away,
sucked the blood and spit it out,
pulled my Flyer into snowy daylight,
to the top of the hill, my winter paradise,
and away I went, no old ladies in my way,
all sitting at their windows
sipping a glass of hot tea.

maybe dreaming of a sleigh ride
that took them to streets paved with gold,

the way I am today,
and never coming back
once I hit the first star.


@copyright/all rights reserved/ 2010


Thanks, once again, Willow, for lighting my fire!!  Poetry lives!!  Magpie, forever!!


http://www.minblu.blogspot.com/
http://www.twitter.com/lynxny

47 comments:

Raph G. Neckmann said...

Love this Lyn! I love the feeling of freedom and nexcitement! And the last part is perfect!

Helen said...

Lyn, Your Magpie is alive with sounds, sights, smells, emotions, memories, pain, laughing, yearning ~ I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

Lyn said...

Hi Raph-
So happy to hear from you..I really felt close to this one!! Thanks!!

Lyn said...

Hi Helen-
Glad you enjoyed this..it was a blast for me! Thank you...

Andreas said...

Beautiful poem. Honest, direct, and heartfelt. Your street is vivid in my mind. It put a smile on my face and warmth in my heart.
Thank you.

Ps. How do you feel about Mozart? :)

Stafford Ray said...

You rally are a menace! Loved the images of careless and the feeling of total abandon but please, "who goes so fast, are you crazy?"
Stay safe for Magpie 45.

Kathe W. said...

what a fun read! Love the last few lines!

Leah said...

Beautiful. Really, just beautiful.

Lyn said...

Hi Daigu-
What a wonderful thing to say..I really appreciate it!
Mozart?? This guy has a future!

Lyn said...

Hi Stafford-
Well, aren't you nice! Not so fast, anymore..not to worry! Thanks...

Lyn said...

Hi kathew-
How nice that you enjoyed this..it was such fun for me too!

Lyn said...

Hi Leah-
Thanks for your lovely words!

Unknown said...

Hi Lyn,

Such a free spirit - your joy is infectious! Spare a thought for those old ladies!

Lyn said...

Hi Derrick-
That's what they mean by the good old days...Now I'm one of those "ladies"..Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

ah, lovely memories of youth - reads like a story... now I remember, our sled was a Flyer too, wooden, with splinters practically everywhere you touched it

Lyn said...

Hi gospelwriter-
Thanks..Funny about those splinters..still, those were the best sleds!!

Kristen Haskell said...

What afun picture you paint with your words.

Lyn said...

Hi Kristen-
Thank you..and I had fun doing it!!

Reflections said...

The thrill of the ride, no matter what gets in the way. Let's hit it!

Windsmoke. said...

She must've been a real terror on those skates and equally on the sleigh i just felt the freedom of both in my vivid mind's eye.

Trellissimo said...

sitting at their windows
sipping a glass of hot tea.


I'll join them! :)

Lyn said...

Hi Reflections-
Fear not...Glad to report that no little old ladies ever fell!!
Thanks for the visit!

Lyn said...

Hi Windsmoke-
She was just a skinny little girl from the Bronx who made a mountain out of a molehill!! Thanks...

Lyn said...

Hi Trellissimo-
Thanks for visiting..yes, the tea at the window sounds just about right for now!!

gautami tripathy said...

What images, sounds, and so vivid!

Great Magpie!

who hid that story for us to find

Lyn said...

Hi gautami tripathy-
Some things are always there..thank you so much!

Everyday Goddess said...

oooh! rush of excitement from reading this lovely account!!

Lyn said...

Hi Everyday Goddess-
So glad you got a rush!! Thank you...

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

hope you well..

Award/Treats 4 Poetic Friends of Jingle, Happy Thursday!

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

love the flow, ending seems divine.

Brian Miller said...

this is fabulous lyn...hit that star...smiles.

Lyn said...

Hi Jingle-
Thanks so much for your kind words and your lovely offers!!

Lyn said...

Hi Brian-
Hope it isn't too late to be starstruck..thanks for the encouragement!!

hedgewitch said...

Great finish, lovely sweeping sense of freedom and youth. Liked it very much, as always, Lyn.

Tumblewords: said...

Love the breathless feeling and the pinging off the star rush - delightful!

Lyn said...

Hi hedgewitch-
Grateful for your comments....this was a fun ride for me!!

Lyn said...

Hi Tumblewords-
Happy that you enjoyed this..it was one that seemed to race along!!

Brigid O'Connor said...

Gorgeous Magpie, how brave we were when we were little.

Lyn said...

Hi Brigid-
Thank you so much..it's only in childhood that we know we'll always be fine!!

Steve said...

I love your Grandmother...
We al feel indesructable when we are kids... and kids at heart!

Lyn said...

Hi Steve-
Thank you...Gran..she always looked out for me in every way...That's what they do!! Thank goodness we can remember..

Carrie Van Horn said...

Love the spirit of freedom in this one Lyn....a truly wonderful Magpie! :-)

Paul C said...

'heard a noise that sounded
like my heart beat...' You capture the emotional connection with the sled so well.

Lyn said...

Hi Carrie-
What a lovely thing to say!! Thank you...

Lyn said...

Hi Paul C-
I didn't know I had this connection till I started to write!! Thanks

CHummelKornell said...

Such great and familiar imagery. You nailed it. Always a little bit of danger in sledding, isn't that why we loved it so?

Lyn said...

Hi C. Hummel-
Thank you so much..I sort of did feel the wind rushing by when I did this!!

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