Winter Legend

We will say to the children-

Once there was a winter

They will blink their eyes
and stare at us.
They will wonder
what wool was for.
And the meaning of hearth.

To teach them
we will take them
to the top of the world
and let them, with great care,
touch the snow.

They will ask-

What happened to the winter?

We will life up our eyes
to the dusky blue and say-

Forgive us. We burned the sky.

Margie McCreless Roe
Texas Observer May 2, 2008 pg 19