Sleigh Bells Ring
they settled in for the
evening in a hotel not
far from donner’s pass.
the gruesome stories
had enchanted the kids,
whetted their appetites,
so to speak. war hurts.
none of them had asked
for this adventure. al and
miranda, faced with the
prospect of an explosion,
or worse, slipped the bed
covers over their midriffs
and attempted to pass
out. the distant choo-
choos of a train could
be discerned. between
it and them was a distance
of calm, of buffered perils.
al shifted a bit in bed as
miranda held her breath.
