Icicle Stones

We walked around the outdoor mall today with my five-year-old niece. Since I have two boys, I rarely get to shop at frou-frou  places like Justice, a store that sells frilly skirts, lacy T-shirts,  ribbons, and, as my niece pointed out, bras for teenagers!

Shopping holds little allure for me, but it was fun to see my niece so thrilled to be in a big girl store.

I bought her a lamb called “Wooly” and a collection of glitter  bath sprays that smell like cup cakes and cotton candy. Yum!

My sister, an artist, pointed out the icicles in the fountain, which is shaped like an octagon.

The blue and white ice in the afternoon light makes me think of hope and fresh life. (River of Stones, December 28)

Published by Christine

Christine Swint’s poems have appeared in Calyx, Birmingham Poetry Review, Slant, a Journal of Poetry, Tampa Review, Heron Tree, Ekphrasis, and others. Her poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best New Poets, and she has won first place prizes from the Georgia Poetry Society and Agnes Scott College. Her first collection, Swimming This, was published in 2015 by FutureCycle Press. She teaches first-year composition at a metro-Atlanta university and writes about poetry, art, hiking, and yoga at Balanced on the Edge, https://balancedonedge.blog Twitter @christine_swint

One thought on “Icicle Stones”

  1. Lisa Nanette Allender says:
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    Hi Christine…
    I long for those days.
    My oldest niece is all grown-up, but I got to see her in November, when I watched her trot out in some H&M outfits, and did a bit of shopping with her at Forever 21, too!
    I have two nieces by marriage, who are just reaching tween/teenhood, so I look forward to i-tune “shopping” with them, buying them make-up(I gotta check with their Mommy first)and baking cakes & brownies, etc., with them, too.
    My newest niece is only three months old…so I guess it’ll be awhile, before I can go shopping with her, take her to see edge-y theatre(Actors’ Expres,Synchronicity, 7 Stages, etc.)and puppet shows(Center for Puppetry Arts). 😀
    We should a “niece-up” (my phrase for a “meet-up” with nieces in tow), yes, Christine? You may bring your boys, too, if u like.
    I bet boys are a real handful, yes? 😉

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