You looked out of the second-story window that contained your room. The grass was vibrant, and a couple of stray dogs wandered around, looking for scraps.
The desk that sat in front of you was made of dark wood, and on it sat a journal. That was when a loud thud caught your attention.
From your window, you saw a horrific scene: a giant truck pulled into the neighborhood at an unreasonable speed and struck one of the dogs.
The man stepped over the body of the poor creature he had mangled as if it were of no consequence.
The other dog stared at you, as if begging you to help.
THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW
(Free Verse) by Sara Etgen-Baker
how the brightness of
today’s early sun
resembles how I feel
as it struggles to break
through the clouds.
how the sun calls on
my desire for a clear day
hoping to see the sky
turning to
gold and broadcast blue.
warm April days emerge
leaving only memories
of winter’s snow sculptures,
an artform all their own,
now gone.
their leaving ushers in a turning
of the spirit.
change is coming with the lush green
of spiky pines, rising
and rising
through the clouds.
through the open wind
my mood changes
as winter’s chilly air
sings
a new song.
Kathryn McCone Usher
21/4/2025
Kindku
(Credit,
Louis MacNeice, Canto XVII)
Wall
Cracking wall, ivy
Rampant, tapping Elder tree
Black veiled dusty sill
Behind thread-bare well-worn chair
Creaking, screeching bough
Two dogs barking in the cold
Muse aroused again
You looked out of the second-story window that contained your room. The grass was vibrant, and a couple of stray dogs wandered around, looking for scraps.
The desk that sat in front of you was made of dark wood, and on it sat a journal. That was when a loud thud caught your attention.
From your window, you saw a horrific scene: a giant truck pulled into the neighborhood at an unreasonable speed and struck one of the dogs.
The man stepped over the body of the poor creature he had mangled as if it were of no consequence.
The other dog stared at you, as if begging you to help.
There was nothing to be done. You had homework.