WINTER IN CHAPLEAU by jody terio

WINTER IN CHAPLEAU

glimpses of snow banks falling 
salt
momentos in dark black dots of old pieces
familiar 
once a part of your life and melted
in snow in spring, a mitten, hockey glove puck.
Recovered          
My mother tied the mittens on with string  
made of wool by grandma watson they would shrink
and muffle, get smaller and smaller
til they only fit the smallest, then got lost 
under snow.
Red or blue.
And i would know a friend 
only by her snowsuit.  Her face wrapped
up frost on the eyelashes, we are marching
down the road to school.
Every day.  I hardly remember 
but for the marching. 
Can’t remember undressing.  Except for
puddles. Far reaching into  corridors.
And shoes inside of boots
A mother doing six of them.  Boots with buckles
Heaps of them
at the door, at home,
at friends, coats and boots
sweaters, hats, snowpants.  Everything is
shiny slick, damp. 
And finding yours in the pile, yours 
are red this year. Passed down through
hundreds of distant brothers and sisters
you are fittest red cheeked
and hungry for soup hot chocolate.

                                                   -jody terio

jody terio is the daughter of Joan and George Theriault. She is the artistic director of Little Red Theatre. http://www.littleredtheatre.on.ca/home.html