Smashing Ice

The sun shining through the bare branches
acts as a strobe light
as we speed past a stand of trees.

I close my eyes to the flashing light
but can’t quite block out the snow
reflecting the sun in a blinding white.

I wish for a winter cloud or two
to shield my eyes from the sun’s brilliance,
but knowing it is hopeless
I focus my thoughts elsewhere,
the journey ahead of us and what lies at the end.

Finally the light steadies.
Opening my eyes
we have come upon fields,
far as the eye can see.

The corn stalks poking up
through fields of snow
remind me of childhood adventures.

We would hike across the neighbor’s fields
to the woods down the way
where we would find patches of standing water
frozen solid, broken up only by the trees
growing throughout.

We would slide on the ice
for hours in our snow boot
pretending we were skating.

More fun than skating
was finding a pristine patch of ice
we could smash
with the heels of our boots.

Leaving behind destruction
that would be invisible after the thaw.

Then back across the fields we would hike
hoping mom would never find out
we had walked so far.

Sitting in this drafty Jeep
focusing on the heat from the vent
that is losing the battle against the draft from the window,
I dream of simpler days
when smashing ice was all it took
to bring a smile to our faces.

© Michele Markley 2009