Snow for Halloween

Yesterday, a "nor'easter" hit the east coast of the USA -  and well inland, too. We're four hours from the ocean, but it snowed all day here.  I was worried about snow weighing down the trees still filled with golden leaves, but here it was just warm enough for the snow to keep melting.  Our neighbors in Pennsylvania and further north fared much worse.

This is the earliest snow in my memory - apparently a record-breaker all around. 

On another topic, I am seven days into another "30 poems in 30 days" at ITWS ( Inside the Writers' Studio).I'm very happy to be joined in this round by several poets from previous rounds: John Vicks, Valerie Fox ( who alerted me and invited me to jump in), Annie Bien, Brenda Nixon, and a new voice, Sarah Munroe.  This website/listserv really helps me to keep writing daily.  I have also become close to these other poets - one can't help feeling close when one has read about 200 poems, and has had  200 poems of one's own read by them.  And commenting back and forth. 

New poem published today!

My poem "Diptych" went up today at the online poetry magazine Damselfly. There's even an MP3 file of me reading it.  Very exciting!

http://www.damselflypress.net/

 

Issue 17 Poetry

Diptych
Listen to the Poem
Her face came together between August and October
like two photos that fit better together than they did apart.
That first trimester of her life
the bones, mirror images, two ivory cups,
curled toward each other and joined
in the center of the forehead, nose, cleft of the chin
seamlessly and whole.
Like a diptych skull
Like cupped hands hinging toward each other.
- A native of West Chester, PA, Anne Higgins teaches English at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, Maryland. She is a member of the Daughters of Charity. She has ninety poems published in magazines, as well as five books of poetry published.

Another boot entirely

Two weeks ago, I fell down some steps on my way to my 11AM  Intro to Poetry class.  They were concrete interior stairs.  My backpack saved me; I had slipped and both feet went out from under me, but when I landed, the backpack hit the steps instead of my back or head! However, my left foot twisted under me... leaving me with an AVULSION FRACTURE. Never heard of it -  the doctor showed me on the xray.  Seems that this occurs when tendons or ligaments tear away from the bones, pulling pieces of the bone with them.  Yes, it hurt like the devil!  
However, it's not a broken bone ... so I have been outfitted with a walking boot from the Darth Vader Collection ( see photo). It's removable so I can shower and climb into bed. What a relief after the first three days
when it was splinted and I couldn't put any weight on it. 

Foot is still quite swollen and bruised , but not as painful.  I return to the orthopedic doc tomorrow for more xrays and another verdict...