Left to Right
After the photograph by Helen Geld, 2013 Dane Karnick Sixty years of footsteps From basement to chapel This stairwell carried Schoolgirl weight Through Catholic grades With soul upon sole Squealing across wood In their expected march To home economics Between assigned duties At the laundry floor Or the beautician room How the shoes would stomp Row after row of legs In route to dressmaking Their physiques would echo With the sisters nearby Ready to correct errors Made by wayward girls Left to right in stride Along the banister Up and down the flight Of adolescence Struggling to keep aloft |
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About the Author: Dane Karnick grew up by the Colorado “Rockies” and lives near Seattle. His poetry recently appeared in Poppy Road Review, Here/There and Bookends Review. Visit him at www.danekarnick.com.