Good afternoon, I hope this Special Sips of Wine from the Grapevine post finds you well.

The following offering by, author Abbie Johnson Taylor came to me in January. Unfortunately, it got lost in the shuffle and I’m just now unearthing it from the lost submissions file.

Anyhow, as the pre-spring sun shines through the window above my desk, without further ado, I give you Abbie and her Winter Adventure…

Winter Adventure (A Prose Poem)

By Abbie Johnson Taylor

Copyright 2011

On a cold, cloudy day, we strap on our skis, boots, head up the trail. I inch along, sure I’ll fall at any minute, as my skis slide through packed snow. “Left foot right pole, right foot left pole. See if you can go faster,” Dad says. I prefer to keep my slow, plodding pace.

At the top of the hill, we retrace our steps. My feet slide out from under me. I land flat on my back. “Smile,” says my brother, holding the camera.

“Stick that camera where the sun won’t shine,” I want to tell him.

“You’re not falling right.  You could get hurt,” he says. I remove the skis, walk the rest of the day.

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Author’s Note: The above poem appears in my collection, How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver, published in 2011 by iUniverse. It was inspired by my first and last attempt at cross-country skiing years ago.

I figured that if I could do the cross-country ski motion in the pool during exercise classes, I could cross-country ski in real life. Wong! Oh, well, as I’m fond of saying, you never know until you try. Please feel free to email me at:  abbietaylor945@gmail.com

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Abbie Johnson Taylor is the author of three novels, two poetry collections, and a memoir. Her work has appeared in The Avocet, The Writer’s Grapevine, and other publications. She lives in Sheridan, Wyoming. Please visit her website at:  https://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com