{\rtf1\fbidis\ansi\ansicpg1257\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset186{\*\fname Arial;}Arial Baltic;}{\f1\fmodern Courier New;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\ltrpar\cf1\f0\fs28\tab\tab\b GRAMMA'S RANCH, \b0 by Roger Fritz, 10-3-00\par \par \tab This old log house creaks and ticks during the night\par \tab like some fantastic wooden clock,\par \tab marking our dreams with hollow music.\par \tab The walls are the color of purple lilacs.\par \tab The comforters on our beds are thicker than bread.\par \tab When the dawn comes through the frosted panes,\par \tab we listen for Grampa to stir,\par \tab to rattle the grate and awaken the fire.\par \tab And then we grab our icy clothes and run for the stove,\par \tab where we dress like a flock of chattering, skinny chickadees.\par \tab We know the ice on the river will bear our weight,\par \tab and we will skate like zippers in the afternoon.\par \tab We know the snow will be full of snow-fairies,\par \tab and they will twinkle at us in the sunlight.\par \tab We know the horses will be blowing clouds of breath\par \tab as they pull the haywagon,\par \tab and we will play in the hay behind Grampa\par \tab until Uncle Joe scoots us out of the way\par \tab and pitches leaves of hay to the Herefords.\par \tab Their coats will gleam like shaggy, red gold.\par \tab And the cow with the bent horn will lower her head\par \tab and plow the calves out of her way.\par \tab We'll find frozen apples in the orchard\par \tab and thick smells in the henhouse.\par \tab Grampa's World War One helmet hangs in the machine shop,\par \tab with a glazed spot where a bullet ricocheted.\par \tab Gramma's memories of rattlesnakes lie in the potato cellar\par \tab with the tubers and jars of home-canned peaches.\par \tab Gramma's in the kitchen with her clear green plates from \par \tab the 1939 Saint Louis World's Fair,\par \tab cooking up magic.\par \tab The cowboys will shoehorn themselves into place \par \tab around the table\par \tab and eat like she'd just invented food.\par \tab Perhaps she has.\par \tab Perhaps she invented her life and my mother's and mine.\par \tab Perhaps she's the one who gave me this heart\par \tab and this snowy day to put it in.\f1\fs20\par }