on bitter nights when deep drifts
blocked our long country lane we
hiked up left the car on the road
snowpants boots our white breath
searing our windpipes we followed
daddy’s tracks as he pushed the way
to light and warmth I loved those treks
the sky its richest black and the stars!
the stars so bright so close you could
swipe down handfuls in your mittens
in your arms hug the frozen milky way

Many of you know that I write a poem a week for the Illinois Times; it’s on the Letters page and you could look it up if you want to at www.illinoistimes.com. I’ll put this one here because so many people have gone out of their way to tell me how much they like it (many of my poems do not receive comments).