A dream that among things
on offer I select a pair
of light green baby socks.

They are cotton, folded flat
with some eyelet stitching
around the edge of the cuff

and like the Christmas cookie
you bring home from the bank
for me, wrapped in a paper napkin,

I fold the socks and push them
into my jacket pocket. Protective.
To save for later.  Or to share.

As if I could hold you in my palm
like a small gift I chose for myself.

—

Mary C. Rowin’s poetry has appeared in various publications such as Hummingbird, Panopoly, Solitary Plover, Stoneboat and Oakwood Literary Magazine.  Mary’s poem “Centering,” published in the Winter 2018 issue of Blue Heron Review, has been nominated for the Push Cart Anthology.  Recent awards include poetry prizes from The Nebraska Writers Guild and from Journal from the Heartland, plus Honorable Mentions from the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and Wisconsin People and Ideas.  Mary lives with her husband in Middleton, Wisconsin.