Iowa Writes

S. MIKE MURPHY
I Miss Being Cold


        I miss being cold. Biting, bone-chilling, stinging, frost-biting cold, when I was young. Cold from carrying a rifle two miles before dawn to a Michigan deer blind in late November; from sleeping, surrounded by friends, in a fishing shack on a frozen lake in January; from motorcycling over high Colorado mountain passes in early spring on roads cut through ice; and from when the fire went out on winter nights in my wood-heated house.
        Now I work every day in an office that is 70 degrees year-round; I haven't hunted, or picked up a rifle, in years; my old ice fishing friends go home to spouses, and don't sleep on frozen lakes anymore; I sold my motorcycle to make room in the garage for a second car — which has heated seats; and on cold winter nights I press buttons on an electronic thermostat and the gas stove fires automatically. I miss being cold.

About Iowa Writes

Since 2006, Iowa Writes has featured the work of Iowa-identified writers (whether they have Iowa roots or live here now) and work published by Iowa journals and publishers on The Daily Palette. Iowa Writes features poetry, fiction, or nonfiction twice a week on the Palette.

In November of 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Iowa City, Iowa, the world's third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Iowa City has joined Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia as UNESCO Cities of Literature.

Find out more about submitting by contacting iowa-writes@uiowa.edu


S. MIKE MURPHY

S. Mike Murphy lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Kelsey and his daughter Alexandra.  He attended the Iowa Summer Writing Festival in July 2015 and is grateful for the support of his instructor and classmates.

This page was first displayed
on February 25, 2016

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