She tells me that for those with fragile hearts
It is best to stay indoors
When the cold wind blows hard.
She says it’s medically proven.
There are testimonies.
She says it’s wise to keep feet warm and slipper shod,
Wiser to merely observe through tight shut windows,
While the wind runs wild
Lifting hats off heads and tiles off roofs.
Wrenching branches from ancient trees
Casting giant waves to crash mightily
Upon unprotected shores.
She tells me this as we stand together,
Watching through her tight shut windows,
As flurries of leaves skitter and swirl
And birds fly backwards going forwards.
I see that her feet are encased in warm slippers,
And her hand rests lightly upon her breast
Where her fingertips can just feel the metal disc of her pacemaker.
Trudie Shannon
