Dana Robbins: “The Pretzel Cart”
THE PRETZEL CART
At dusk, on a frigid day,
I huddle with my father,
on the corner of West 81st,
waiting for my mother who
has gone to get the car.
We stand near the pretzel cart
for the warmth of the steam,
breathe the earthy aroma
that rises from the roasting
chestnuts, like an offering
to a forest god here in NYC.
The light of late afternoon
narrows to a slant. My
four-year-old body is cold.
My father, who is hatless,
opens his coat and wraps
it around the two of us.
Like a small animal, I nestle
next to his heart, the warmest,
safest, and possibly happiest,
place I will ever be.
Dana Robbins has had two books of poetry, The Left Side of My Life and After the Parade, published by Moon Pie Press. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in many journals or anthologies, including The Fish Poetry Anthology, Door Is A Jar Magazine, Drunken Boat, Edison Literary Review, Euphony Journal, Evening Street Review, Paterson Literary Review, California Quarterly, Calyx, Cape Rock, Ghost City Review, Magnolia Review, Midway Journal, Muddy River Poetry Review, and Zone 3. “To My Daughter Teaching Science” was a featured poem by Garrison Keillor on The Writers Almanac.