Slip-Sliding Away

This has been a crazy winter. A windchill of -50F this past week to a predicted high nearing 40 today. A noticeable lack of snow all season but plenty of icy walkways and parking lots. And despite the relative balminess of the last two days, we'll plunge back into the cold of a Minnesota winter by tomorrow night.



Slip-Sliding Away


Sidewalks and grass glazed like glass,
deceptive enough to pull me down. Twice.

Chagrined, I glanced around, ready
to reassure any witnesses, but no one else
signed up for this fool's outing.

Once, I would have shown off
my bruises. Not so now. I wished
to avoid any talk about broken bones

and walking the halls of shopping malls,
instead. Boring as a treadmill.

Like a kid I hid the blueberry swirls
under my jeans until a pedicurist spied them
without even a shake of her head.

Only kind words bubbled-up, soothing
as the warm water around my feet.

Sympathy in a nail salon. What took me
so long? The discolorations had already
passed their peak.



Marilyn Aschoff Mellor