New snow’s made our yard a white slate,
a Winter tale written out in shorthand.
Where deft paws notarized a path to the trees
our weighted bouquet of New Year’s balloons
wind-dragged across. And here,
something stepped softly and left
no mark, no clue. I turn my attention
back to the table where you sometimes sat.
Week-old white tulips sag in the vase.
When I carry them to the sink
the spent petals fall to the floor
like an unbroken line of footsteps.
JEAN MONAHAN is the author of three books of poetry. Hands was chosen by Donald Hall to win the 1991 Anhinga Prize. Her second and third books, titled Believe It or Not and Mauled Illusionist, were both published by Orchises Press (1999 and 2006). She has received several awards and an artist residency at Yaddo. Her poems have appeared in Poetry, The New Republic, the Atlantic Monthly and Salamander, as well as in numerous other journals and publications, including several anthologies. Her MFA in Creative Writing is from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She lives and works in Salem, MA.
