Wednesday, September 2, 2015

A Spinter in Oz

A Spinster in Oz

When she doesn’t remarry,
her father calls her

an old maiden aunt,
a spinster, 

spinning to earn her keep,

tapping a treadle
on grandma’s antique wheel.

Mostly, though, she likes to spin on grass,

turning slowly
during mother may I

faster
when the big kid twirls her

or when she rolls down Rose Mount Hill.

She even spins her swing,
circling up chain for a dizzy unravel.

When she jumps,
she feels like a witch swirling dust on arrival,

not Glinda the good

or the wickedness of East or West

but a fright nonetheless.

A dress.
Not shoes.
Not socks.
Perhaps a hat or scarf in winter
or a bathrobe at night.

warm

with her little dog beside her

she feels strong,
telling him,

You have no power here!

Be gone!


Before a twister drops a house on you, too! 

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