It’s quiet when you’re single on a frigid Idaho night.
Snow came down days and days ago but it’s still stuck
like dirty ice cream, not yet ready to be slushy muck.
The tv isn’t working but thanks to the net, I’m blessed
with a gift;
a book of his poetry sent by my former professor.
It was decades ago when he and Mary, two free spirits, landed
in, of all places, Twin Falls, conservative, Idaho.
All I can hear is Gemma licking her paw until she stops;
looks at me and asks do you hear it too?
Yes, I say out loud, I hear that plane up there, it’s ok.
Knowing it’s ok, she twists her head in that silly way
and covers her nose with her paw.
Now a neighbor’s noisy engine starts up and the
furnace comes to life.
This night, being single is utterly, utterly right.
No one to argue: noise, there must be noise!
It’s amazing to find a friend from long, long ago and
read his life’s details on this quiet, quiet night.
is an Idaho native who received her B.A. in English Literature from Boise State
University. While employed there as the Director of Graduate Admissions, her writing
abilities were utilized in technical writing: developing brochures and catalog
descriptions. She developed a grass roots organization to influence animal-cruelty
laws in Idaho in 2007. She used her technical writing to co-author legislation and
developed a ballot initiative. Virginia has been writing poetry since her twenties
for her own personal reflections.