Mary’s Hobbles
Midmorning sun was hot on our backs, so we moved gratefully into the shade of black
locust trees Nana had nurtured for forty years.We were standing chatting with old Gail
when there was a scream indoors and out the door hopped Mary, her ankles hobbled by
pink nylon panties and her narrow skirt pulled up above her thighs. She’d just been
settling onto the toilet when she noticed a four-foot-long rattlesnake which, seeking a
cool spot on a hot day, had wrapped itself around the porcelain base.
Mary Santiago c. 1970
LMD 2006