I Write A Present

Travel Advice

For Anna Dreda to celebrate her birthday, 

and wth thanks for her many kindnesses

The decision about whether or not to set off

in the first place, whether to sit it out, to wait

for better weather seems ludicrous

in retrospect. 

                         Three inches of snow either

disappears into grey by lunchtime, or expands

to make things impassable.   A tree might stand,

or fall, laden, across the tracks.

                                                          

So, I’m sitting here remembering, by turns,

the sorrows of the ones who told me so,

as they waited to drag me out of the ditch

before I’d even set off,  

                                          and the kindness

of the ones who say, "Snow falls, and it melts,

and in any case, a tree can become logs,

a landslide can be shovelled away." 

With love from Liz xx