Enga mellom fjella

First tooth fairy tale, A certain slant of snow.

First tooth fairy tale

I don't remember loosing my first tooth,
but you could remind me how yours wiggled
and how you checked it every hour,
each time you passed in front of a mirror,
looking to make sure it still was there.

Then the prize of one small white square
(this time you didn't swallow it)
shown to everyone to have them ooh and ah,
placed beneath a pillow where it slept
while you tried hard to stay awake
to catch the tooth fairy, a shadow seen
from the corner of the eye, just like Santa,
somehow familiar.

And how one thin dime or a new case quarter
miraculously appeared, worth more
than one old used tooth. And I'd believe you,
feeling the holes left where my teeth have rotted,
counting the pennies that never add up
to get them fixed.

© Kåre Enga 2008 [164.510] 2008-02-15

A certain slant of snow

There is a certain slant of snow
that blows grey days away.
The familiar squeak of slush, the hush
that covers mud, the mush that freezes
slowly. A lowly cold display of winter's wonder,
that steals my breath, empties my mind of pain.

White bandages fall through grace,
iced lace that hides the wounds,
now holds them fast in frost's embrace.
They heal the burns of sun, the gash of humans.
After the firestorm's rage, they offer
a glimpse of ivory dust, grey ashes,
before the return of the next Ice Age.

© Kåre Enga 2008 [164.516] 2008-02-17

IMAGES:

Leaves taking a short hitch along the snowbanks or leaving on a long trip to the sea.

Wandering across a sea of slush, careful not to slip, ice oozing where my sole is wounded, freezing my feet.

NEWS/ON-LINE:

Foreclosures provide homes for the homeless? More empty units than homeless in this town too, but no one is addressing the issue, seeing that there may be a solution to some of the crowding and violence problems here. I remember reading somewhere a couple years ago that in The Netherlands, abandoned buildings can be 'seized' for use by squatters. Wonder if that is still true.

Re Cleveland: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080217/homeless_foreclosure.html

Read an article that in New Jersey the Catholics are once again trying to stop marriage rights for same-sex couples stating that it undermines their beliefs. Unfortunately, I never heard when it became the Papal State of New Jersey (Rhode Island? maybe ...). I guess if your belief is so weak that it is undermined by other people's rights, that one has to fight. After-all, wasn't that what the Christians did for centuries raping the innocent, the pagan, the oh-my-god-they're ... [fill in the blank with any group you hate] across Europe? Since when did Catholicism or any other religious group become the State Religion?

My freedom of religion also implies that I have freedom from your specific religious beliefs. There are solid reasons for a state to encourage all of its residents to be connected to others. Marriage is a contract between two people. No one is suggesting that the Pope get married to the Archbishop of Canterbury (except for a few Scots with a wicked sense of humor ).

Personally ... unless we are enjoying a shared bed, I don't care who you are shacking up with or what you want to call it. My parents were married for 46 years in a very close supportive relationship. Everyone should be so blessed.

To find date on religious communities, these are two links I've used:

http://www.adherents.com/

http://www.religionatlas.org/

ME:

Ate my tortellini with asparagus and parmesan. Stepped outside during the snowstorm and fed the juncos and their friends. Saw a dove out there.

Last night listened to the Petroglyphs and spoke with Kevin Rabas who edits Flint Hills Review. Brian Daldorph stopped in and before leaving encouraged me to submit poems to him too. He edits the Coal City Review. I feel supported in my efforts to find homes for my poems. I survive better and can even feel energized when I am emotionally supported.

Called family ... of course. At Z's today ... of course. Drinking Rwanda ... of course.

Kansas: 38º, sunny, slushy and windy.

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