Winter Bumper-Hitching

giant conifer trees drip in iced frosting, guardians of the winter scape, while red, blue, green, and white sparkling lights on house peaks twinkle through their snow glaze.

the smoky gray sky is obliterated with blizzard conditions, and drivers strain in dim headlight beacons.

as tire tracks carve trails in the street, teenagers hitch bumper rides behind unaware drivers, dangerous secret skimming, clinging tightly with bare fingers, careful not to be discovered. younger kids watch and hope to hitch, scared of the warning, "you could slide under the car and the wheels."

mittens covered in frozen hominy balls, corduroy flannel-lined pants tucked into boots, a scarf covers the boy’s nose and creates a steam fog, and a rushed misstep takes him into the culvert beside the road.

snow to his chest, arms flung wide, he swims on the frozen bank, squirming and inch-worming in a frenzy to free himself, body heating up from extreme effort, huffing steam, curls peaking out under his cap frozen from sweat.

breaking free, toes frigid from snow packed deep inside the boots, he sits on his rear to clear the slush and realizes his socks are all mush.

the boy trods home to warm up and change and lays socks and mittens on the radiator to dry.

he sips hot cocoa while eating Mama’s pie, all the while, wide-eyed innocence, deny, deny, deny.

Mama hides her smile and hopes now that he knows, she knows, he won’t bumper-hitch, but she understands the snow tempts dangerous play.

Copyright © 12/9/2024 by Andrea O. Corwin

Thank you so much for stopping by! 😃 If you liked this piece, please click the ♡, leave a comment, share it, and remember, you can subscribe for free.