Great Blizzard 1978

I don't know if I was in Salem in 1978 but Steven and I went back when he was three. I was that homesick. There had been a huge storm. Bigger than my family had ever seen. We had no winter clothes (coming from Phoenix) and the family rushed around gathering clothes for us....Boots, winter jackets, sweaters, long socks, etc. The snow drifts covered the doors.

My cousin's husband picked us up at the airport because my dad had not yet been able to get his car out. Ron parked at his house because he would not have been able to turn around in the snow to get back to his house. My dad made me take his winter coat he didn't want me to be cold even though we were just down the street a little bit. We argued about it. Then Ron winked and whispered something about the pride of old people so I took the coat.

We had to go in the back door because my dad had not cleared a path to the front yet. A day or two later, Steven helped helped his grandpa dig out the driveway (he was three).

Hillside Avenue was covered in Pelletier's whether they carried the name or not. It was a well loved hill. Across the street and down aways lived Ron and my cousin Janet. Next door to them lived my cousing Linda, her husband and their three boys (they provided the winter clothing for Steven). Down the hill from us lived my Aunt Adrian and Uncle Omer.

That was the year I started thinking of Ma and Dad as old. They were in their sixty's. They were retired.

CATS

Cats cough up hairballs
shed hair and puke.
People clean it up.

Cats stay away from babies.
Babies pull hair,
twist ears and poke fingers
into tender eyes and noses.

Babies have fun
Cats don't
When babies do.

Cats shred couches also newspapers.
People get mad.
Cats don't care.

Cats are attracted to people
who watch television or read books.
People chuckle.
Cats get their ears scratched

Cats are attracted to people
who are sick or dying.
it makes people feel less alone.

I don't know what the cats get out of it.

Your Words Tell Me

what to do
what to say
what to know

lift me up
put me down
letting me cry

You whisper secrets
I need to know
I smile

weep
laugh
sing

You hold my hand
brush my tears
sing the song

I wrote for you