Laura Rodley, a Pushcart Prize winner, has been nominated for the prize seven times and has also received five Best of the Net nominations. Her recent works include Turn Left at Normal (published by Big Table Publishing Company), Counter Point (published by Prolific Press), and Ribbons and Moths: Poems for Children (published by Kelsay Books). With a talent for capturing the essence of life, Rodley’s writing resonates with readers of all ages. Whether exploring the natural world or delving into human emotions, her words evoke a sense of wonder and connection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PClY8G6HQwk

Snow Falls

Faster than boiler going on the blink
Christmas elves jingle bells, sleigh rudder jinx,
ride small skies in circular snow swirls.
Wind whipping delights them—turn it to max;
have no fear of cold, though no feathers like swallows,
slippered feet turned towards heaven, kicking high.

Elves’ chariots, the deer too kick hooves high,
slipping behind oaks, disappear in a blink,
leaving imprint of where they slept, shadow swallows,
white tails flipping, stone walls jinxed,
snow their cradle, heat melting on max,
hindquarters outlined in ice-rimmed swirls.

Sometimes a chin too lies in the swirls,
though their vigilance is turned high
tired from outwitting hunters, danger maxed.
Swift surveillance, cannot afford to blink,
amble behind hunters’ blind, rifles jinxed,
then the snow mists tumble, their bodies swallowed.

Snow mists fall, deer bodies swallowed,
protected as wind roars, snow dervishes swirl.
To be given such dainty hooves, not a jinx;
springs of steel, dainty hooves spring high,
out of range of hunters’ many blinks.
Hunters’, deer’s, elves’ attention revved to max.

Through hunter’s rifle’s sight zoomed to max
could see movement of deer when they swallow,
but heaviness of snow cloud causes blinks.
Round and round snow dervishes swirl,
leaping cross stone walls, barbed fences high,
deer’s dainty hooves breaking snow, no jinx.

Deer’s dainty hooves breaking snow, no jinx,
allowing them to hurtle through snow, speed on max,
away from hunters’ blind hammered in trees on high.
Hunter swallows tin, burned shot; fear the deer swallows.
Silent when walking, rush of wind when he swirls,
snow weighing on his eyelashes when he blinks.

Snow on eyelashes deer blinks, keeping away from hunters’ jinx.
Away from shot he swirls, hurtling hooves revved to max.
Fear he swallows, leaping stone walls, fences high.