Words by Khaetidawne Quirk. The photo was taken in January of 2020. This print was made in November, 2020 on 8” x 10” paper.
See the first image in the series, posted on 3/11/21, for the series introduction.
See the first post below for the text for this image.
The fast sledding starts beyond the tree
If the children lose hats or mittens, St. Francis will guard them for free.
How they slide, one by one, down three gentle hills
They laugh all the way, it’s quite fast, but there aren’t hard spills.
You may glimpse the Rock River there on the right
Where Emily and Miss Jayne once went ice fishing with my wife.
Over and over they slide, again and again
Then left to climb the stairs and return to “Sledding Lane.”
As I look at the snow on the branches and boughs
Thinking of the sledders on cardboard boxes now
When I was a child we rode sleds from stores
But even today, all the riders are eager for more!
I think, “How untouched the frozen lane is now”
How the pristine frosting coats each branch, each bristle and bough.