Laurie Kolp

When the fifth grader answers the question *

 
she says the likeness of steam and ice
is smoke, the way it floats into the air like that
blonde genie in pink when she leaves the bottle. She has
watched that show with her mother— but her wish never

came true. She tries shooting stars. She’s known
to close her eyes and hope for something to take away the
need for a knife’s sting on her skin. Steam from a skate’s
sudden stop on ice, the sudden swoosh of a blade.

*Golden Shovel from Claudia Emerson’s poem, Birth Narrative: ice that has never known the skate’s blade.

Laurie Kolp is the author of Upon the Blue Couch and Hello, It's Your Mother. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals, anthologies, and online publications including MORIA Literary Magazine, Whale Road Review, SWWIM, and more. As an educator, Laurie brings poetry into the schools through sponsorship of contests and poetry appreciation events. She lives in southeast Texas with her husband, three children, and two dogs. You can follow her on Twitter at @KolpLaurie or Instagram at lkkolp.