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Allison Thorpe

shining star skating rink

You hear rumors
Then witness its birth
From your classroom
Men wise in the ways of winter
Flood the space behind the school
Plows cram snow to bank the ice
The football field a dim memory

Friday night you dig up your skates
Put on the wool hat your mother requires
A golden halo rings the moon
The little warm up shack
Cradles all who have come
Exchanging shoes for that freedom
That precipice of joy of breathless anticipation
That moment of stillness
When blade finally blesses earth

Allison Thorpe is the author of several collections of poetry, including Dorothy's Glasses (forthcoming from Finishing Line Press). A Pushcart nominee, she is currently working on her first novel (which does include a skating rink or two).

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