The snow fell heavily
and laid a white blanket
over everything
from the top
of the plum trees
to the ground of the garden.
There was no school
as the school bus
couldn’t get through
the narrow lanes
high in snow fall.
You knew you’d not
see Jane that day
which was a shame
as you wanted to tell her
about the bullfinch
you had seen down the lane
by the small stream.
You looked out
of your bedroom window;
your siblings were outside
in their boots,
wrapped up warm
playing in the snow,
laughing.
You wondered what
Jane was doing;
was she looking out
at it like you,
or if she was outside
doing things.
The farm workers
had to cross
the deep snow
to the farm
to milk the cows.
You decided
to offer your help
to get the cows in
and help weigh the milk,
rather than standing
looking out getting bored.
On the other side
of the hamlet,
Jane was helping her father
clear snow from the pathway
to the house to the church.
She was wrapped up
in coat and scarf and gloves
and was getting quite warm.
She mused on you,
wondering what
you were doing,
wishing she could
have met you,
but the road
was too deep
to walk to your
parents’ cottage.
She shovelled away snow
to the sides of the path;
her father was at
the other end by the church
shovelling away snow
at that end.
You crossed the field
in your knee-high boots,
following the footsteps
made by the farm workers,
and into the farm and dairy.
They let you help them
get the cows
into the milking-shed
and weigh the milk
on the huge scales
in the buckets they gave you
for each cow
and you wrote it down
on the list.
Jane stood
for a few moments
getting her breath,
listening to the sound
of the rooks
in the high trees.
She wished you
could be there
beside her,
holding her hand,
your fingers
between hers.
She still felt your kiss
on the cheek
you gave her
last week.
Feb 2, 2019
Feb 2, 2019 at 4:41 AM UTC
The snow fell heavily
and laid a white blanket
over everything
from the top
of the plum trees
to the ground of the garden.
There was no school
as the school bus
couldn’t get through
the narrow lanes
high in snow fall.
You knew you’d not
see Jane that day
which was a shame
as you wanted to tell her
about the bullfinch
you had seen down the lane
by the small stream.
You looked out
of your bedroom window;
your siblings were outside
in their boots,
wrapped up warm
playing in the snow,
laughing.
You wondered what
Jane was doing;
was she looking out
at it like you,
or if she was outside
doing things.
The farm workers
had to cross
the deep snow
to the farm
to milk the cows.
You decided
to offer your help
to get the cows in
and help weigh the milk,
rather than standing
looking out getting bored.
On the other side
of the hamlet,
Jane was helping her father
clear snow from the pathway
to the house to the church.
She was wrapped up
in coat and scarf and gloves
and was getting quite warm.
She mused on you,
wondering what
you were doing,
wishing she could
have met you,
but the road
was too deep
to walk to your
parents’ cottage.
She shovelled away snow
to the sides of the path;
her father was at
the other end by the church
shovelling away snow
at that end.
You crossed the field
in your knee-high boots,
following the footsteps
made by the farm workers,
and into the farm and dairy.
They let you help them
get the cows
into the milking-shed
and weigh the milk
on the huge scales
in the buckets they gave you
for each cow
and you wrote it down
on the list.
Jane stood
for a few moments
getting her breath,
listening to the sound
of the rooks
in the high trees.
She wished you
could be there
beside her,
holding her hand,
your fingers
between hers.
She still felt your kiss
on the cheek
you gave her
last week.
A boy and girl in the countryside in 1961
