Iowa Writes

JOAN MITCHELL
Iowa Woman Speaks as Goddess of Meteorology


Henceforth: Spring,
that sweet green reward,
will be available
only to those who know
the raw humble cold
of wet overshoes
and have shoveled
bottomless snow from
sloping driveways,
or glided a car sideways into
the middle of a large silver bus
while steering meaninglessly
in the opposite direction.

Individuals who know
the search, the urgency
of a lost mitten
at the last minute
will be first in line.

Henceforth: Spring,
that sweet green reward,
will be available
only to those who know
the raw humble cold
of wet overshoes
and have shoveled
bottomless snow from
sloping driveways,
or glided a car sideways into
the middle of a large silver bus
while steering meaninglessly
in the opposite direction.

Individuals who know
the search, the urgency
of a lost mitten
at the last minute
will be first in line.

I hereby proclaim that
daffodils will no longer sprout
or sway yellowy
in the April gardens of
flabby southerners
who stroll strip malls
in mid-January,
straw-sucking fruit smoothies,
wearing what could be described as
shower clogs
on their soft, tan, sweaty feet.

more

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


JOAN MITCHELL

Joan Mitchell was born in Iowa City in 1940 and graduated from Iowa City High School. She has lived in San Antonio, Texas, for twenty-seven years but travels back to Iowa every summer. Her work has appeared in Quirk, The Key, Palo Alto Review, and The San Antonio Express-News. "I enjoy raising the Iowa-consciousness of my Texas friends," she says.

This page was first displayed
on January 04, 2007

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