Rainy Days at the Cottage
are as important as the sunny
petrichor wafting the space like a blues song
two-stepping with must and skin-soaked sunscreen
deciding on which dvd, or if you’re cottage is blessed
with nostalgic bliss, which vhs movie to watch:
Ghost, The Parent Trap, The Lost Boys, Jaws
playing Crazy Eights with cards so old they’re sticky
doing puzzles from torn-and-taped boxes and two
missing pieces, reading a romance or mystery book
from the shelf jammed with stories no one knows
how they got there, eating licorice for breakfast
chips with dip for lunch, napping through dinner…
everyone in the same room – a cornucopia of
blankets, pillows, jammies, joy and laughter
when the rain ends, no one notices…maybe the lake
VANESSA SHIELDS 