for Mary “Mamie” Dickens
Hush now, children, Father’s at his work.
If faeries come to visit, please, speak
in whisper voices, shhhh. Tidy up now,
children. Hang your art for Father.
Such good little children you are with
steps as light as snowfall and laughter
to compliment the rook who roosts
in the tree outside the garret window.
* Mary “Mamie” Dickens (1838-1896; England): memoirist (My Father as I Recall Him); daughter of Charles Dickens
Header photograph © Peter Burton.
Lisa Stice is a poet/mother/military spouse. She is the author of Permanent Change of Station (Middle West Press, 2018) and Uniform (Aldrich Press, 2016). While it is difficult to say where home is, she currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, daughter and dog.
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