"She was all in black but for a yellow pony tail
that trailed from her cap, and bright blue gloves
that she held out wide, the feathery fingers spread,
as surely she stepped, click-clack, onto the frozen
top of the world. And there, with a clatter of blades,
she began to braid a loose path that broadened
into a meadow of curls. Across the ice she swooped
and then turned back and, halfway, bent her legs
and leapt into the air the way a crane leaps, blue gloves
lifting her lightly, and turned a snappy half-turn
there in the wind before coming down, arms wide,
skating backward right out of that moment, smiling back
at the woman she'd been just an instant before."
--Ted Kooser
I was delighted to come across a newly released book of Ted Kooser's poetry - Valentines - and have been challenging myself to find a new favorite of the 23 poems each day - this one is today's favorite.
Image by photographer Jeff Maion.
5 comments:
I love it! His words flow so beautifully describing the skater. Very nice.
Last time I went ice skating I was showing off and took a horrid face fall and did a pretty good number on my back.
The good thing is that a pretty lady about like in the photo came over to see how I was and I decided to be not too good for awhile!
An excellent pairing of image and word. Thank you, that is a lovely poem.
"smiling back at the woman she'd been" - beautiful post.
Mary: Kooser's a favorite of mine!
Rabbits Guy: I think I'd like to hear the rest of that story!
;-)
Trixie: Yeah - glad you enjoyed it.
TR: I love that line, too.
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