Windemere Road

by Heidi Marshall

Yesterday I lost my footing on ice that looked like the bubbled sheet candy I made in the 7th grade. It was a side-long, graceful ballet move. At least that's what I'd like to think. Ribs hit first and then my head smacked icy ground. The impact brought a sudden awareness to the design and density of my skull and how it insulates a river of memories. The smooth clear ones that like to flow over slate-colored pebbles and the muddy ones that slide beneath the tease of dark branches.

6S

Heidi Marshall teaches literature and creative writing at North Central Michigan College. She also scripts documentaries and paints landscapes and the figure.