On Dead Sled Hill

On Dead Sled Hill
I sit stone still,
Smelling the thrill
When I choose Go!
I’m fit to ride
This mountain slide
Without a guide
To howls below.
I don’t need wheels!
My dream’s so real,
I’ll never feel
The cold winds blow.
I’m not too shy,
Not scared to die.
I’m set to fly!
I just need snow. 

© 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved

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Snowbells

Snowbells in Cleveland Park

I nearly missed you

In my rush through the cold,
But the surprise of you caught
My eye: What was a flower
Doing out in the snow?
I saw you and I stopped.
But I couldn’t hear you.
My human ears failed
To hear your music.
What sound do you make
With your supple flesh?
Surely, not the tinkling
Of silver or crystal.
My human brain cannot
Imagine. Who can
Hear you? Mice? Fairies?
Flowers sleeping underground?
Do they waken to your song?

© 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass,
    all rights reserved

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Bad Homework

photo of Joe, a.k.a. Sophie by Susan Pittman

My homework was bad.
It was long and hard too,
but I’d heard people talk.
I knew what to do.

I found my dog Joe.
I showed him the stuff.
“Here, Joe!” I said.
All Joe said was “Ruff?”

I crumpled the pages.
“Fetch!” I told Joe,
but he sat by my feet
drooling, “Where did it go?”

I tore it to shreds.
I mixed it with stew.
I filled up his bowl.
I said, “Here, boy! For you!”

Joe took a good sniff.
He whined, then he beat it.
I had homework so bad,
my dog wouldn’t eat it.

© 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved

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Reading in Bed

I open a book.
There’s someone there.
She’s a stranger at first,
But as I turn more pages,
I see her
Doing things
Saying things
Feeling things.
A few pages more
And I know her better
Than any real person.
I know her parents,
Her teachers,
Her friends,
Her enemies.
I hear her talking.
I hear her not talking. 
I’m worried.
Things are bad.
What will she do?
Will she lie?
Will she run?
Will she put herself in danger?
Will she change?
What?
No, I’m not asleep.
How can I sleep
When I’m already dreaming?

© 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved

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Old Friends

Silent
Oaks post
Endless broken fences
Silent
Deer nibble
Last year’s crumbs
Silent
Lichens dissolve
Ancient granite markers
Silent
Mushrooms remove
Retired forest sentries
Silent
Shoots spear
Winter’s cracked cloak
Silent
I walk
Among old friends

© 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved

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My Two Front Teeth

My two front teeth fell out.
I wiggled and I tugged,
Then I sold them to a fairy
For a nickel and a slug.
I waited and I waited
For my two new teeth to grow.
I had to be real patient
‘Cause they came in awful slow.
Now that they’ve arrived,
I think there’s some mistake.
These teeth are way too big.
I think they might be fake.
I need to call that fairy.
I know the deal’s been made,
But I liked my old ones better.
Do you think she’d make a trade?

© 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved

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Eternal Round Trips

If I leave now and give myself
An eternity, I’m told I’ll never
Reach the edge of our universe,
Whose incomprehensible contours
Would eventually deposit me
Back at my front door to which
I have just returned, arms laden
With chicken and eggs, thoroughly
Comprehending that I will never
Reach the end of my to-dos.

© 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved

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Winter Oranges

Mandarins
Promise sunshine
And hot concrete.
Clementines
Call rhymes
For scorching feet.
Navels
Spray sweetness
In thirsty eyes.
Tangerines
Paint blazes
Across gray skies.

© 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved

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