SNOWMAN MEMORIES IN MASSACHUSETTS
I am six years old
The ice forms
a lacy curtain
on our windows
Uncle Bobby says
Hey Nita
Want to build a snowman
In no time flat
I dress in my green wool snowsuit
Bobby says damp snow is perfect
for a snowman
First we horse around
And have a little snowfight
Come on peanut, Bobby says
Let's make that snowman
Before it gets too cold
He shows me how
to make a firm, round snowball
then roll it down the hill
'till it's gigantic
We do the same for the chest
Only it's a little smaller
Bobby and I lift it together
and place it atop his torso
Bobby picks me up
I place the head
on its shoulders
We bend wire hangers
for the arms
Put snow on them
Get coal from our coal chute
for the eyes
a carrot for his nose
cauliflower for his ears
Red dogwood berries for his mouth
Bobby puts his old baseball cap at a rakish angle
on the snowman's head
His worn policemen's jacket
so the snowman won't be chilled
I put my green mittens on his hands
to keep him warm
And stick my bubble pipe in his mouth
So he won't be bored
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