The Thaw. The Iowa Review. Page Edwards. Volume 6 Issue 1 Winter. Article 27

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1 The Iow Review Volume 6 Issue 1 Winter Article The Thw Pge Edwrds Follow this dditionl works t: Prt of Cretive Writing Commons Recommended Cittion Edwrds, Pge. "The Thw." The Iow Review 6.1 (1975): Web. Avilble t: This Contents is brought to you for free open ccess by Iow Reserch Online. It hs been ccepted for inclusion in The Iow Review by n uthorized dministrtor of Iow Reserch Online. For more informtion, plese contct lib-ir@uiow.edu.

2 FICTION / PAGE EDWARDS The Thw i I first sw my wife nerly four yers go. At time, I ws working for sttionery supply compny ws crossing Ompnoosic River heded towrd Shrps Crossing to mke delivery. It ws brillint in dy erly spring, she stood nude on riverbnk. For me, our courtship begn moment she dove into roily, brown wter below bridge. Her white ws body tossed by turbulence s she ws swept downstrem out stroking strong with current. Bobbing, twisting with wves, she rode flood good distnce downstrem before tucking quickly dis ppering underwter. A moment lter I sw her, ll white shivering, climb out on opposite bnk. All long riverbnk thw hd set in. Snowfields were on receding south fce of gentle, rolling hills. New buds on young beeches mples gve brown riverbnk surrounding lscpe light green hue, like mist drifting bove swollen river s it meered in fertile bottoml. The girl wlked up opposite bnk only to in once more. This plunge time she swm cross directly current for her towel clos. When she hd dried dressed she climbed steep bnk to bridge cme to me. "You've been wtching. Aren't you embrrssed?" She ws completely self-possessed, fternoon ws hers lone. "I thought you might be trying to kill yourself." "So you slm on your brkes to wtch!" She gve me hrsh lugh tossed her drk, wet hir. "Don't be ridiculous. I do tht every spring." After brief scrutiny, she determined this sttionery slesmn?smples fluttering in bck set?ws worthy intruder. "Tke me home," she sid, " I'll show you my frm." As she ws getting in cr, jeep truck crossed bridge. She wved to driver. "Hello, Don." I remember vividly still how Ketchum responded. He nodded, cool, s if he were giving her some sort of mting signl? flourish of bright fers?he flicked on on yellow flshing light truck's roof. At time, I felt ws gesture obscene. I still feel it ws. Don Ketchum cn mke eting bked bens lurid; I've seen him do it. "A friend of yours?" "Sometimes," sid Srh Burns. 68 University of Iow is collborting with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, extend ccess to The Iow Review

3 II It is winter now. The night is mrvelously cler but freezing, I'm sting on bck porch in only light brown sweter suppers. We've hd series of twenty thirty below zero dys nights t Shrps Crossing, tonight drins in kitchen bthroom suc cumbed to intense cold. Snow hs begun drifting round my heels; mybe Srh will toss my prk out to me. I hve socks on, I'm not drunk. Simply, I'm sting out here to see tht Don Ketchum's rig? flshing light on cb's roof is reflecting off high snowbnks punctu ting drkness with bursts of yellow light?to see tht Ketchum gets tht rig of his out of here down vlley to his shop. When my fr-in-lw Burns... ( "You s might just well strt me... clling ") when sw pipes in our house were frozen solid, he stood re?s only ntive New Engler sts, lert but hunched t shoulder, pensive, yet mssively removed?gzing into kitchen sink, sid, "Wht do you think, Dughter?" He speks only to Srh when he cogittes. "Shouldn't you cll The Mechnic? By God you need more thn boiling wter cles to cler this mess out." clls Don Ketchum The Mechnic becuse he's wizrd t spontneous re pirs ptch-ups, jury rig rtist. And t one time or nor he's done some repir work on every house in vlley. He knows quirks of wter electricl systems in our old house better thn himself. I'll give Ketchum tht. When I ws mking this livble for us, he cme over fixed wter heter with tin wire. Srh's quick to point out we've hd: no trouble since. It pys to sty on Ketchum's good side, if you cn. Srh did telephoning. "A womn gets results fster in n emergency," she sid, cheek to window gzing down snowy rod towrd Ketch um's luminum sided shed witing for phone t his end to stop ringing. "Hello, Don." She used her most lluring tone. Ketchum promised Srh he'd be up directly give pipes jolt with his rig. Her breth frosted pne. "We cn't do without you, it seems. Thnks for trouble, Don." Srh reheted supper coffee, I poured myself bourbon. "No thnks," sid. "Coffee will do me just fine." He esed himself into rocker before Frnklin stove. "Convenient, him hving his shop down by river. A good worker tht boy. Hey Pul? Clever. I hted to lose him." During long cold spell, like one we've been to get sucked of its het. The siding, insultion, 69 hving, house lthing, seems plster

4 bsorb cold. Now room living won't go bove fifty-five degrees. The rest of house is much colder, even with oil stove both burners in floor heter on high. Winter is not my best seson, s we st in living room, I enjoyed thought of Srh's hir streming behind her in mid-fternoon sun tht dy. She got in my cr sked me home for te. It ws her mor, Rosemry, who invited me to sty for supper. Srh's mor, who does most of tlking, to me spoke from kitchen while I st in room sucer on living blncing my knee. "I ws lrmed too when she ws younger. But no one, I men no one, not even her fr, cn keep her out of tht river. Once ech spring she goes down to bridge by Don Ketchum's shop does it. It's something she hs to do." Mrs. Burns cme into room living wiping her hs on her pron. "I suppose we thw out differently, ech one of us. Me? The winter's s long for me s it is for my husb, even though I spend most of my time in doors. Me now. I cn tell thw hs set relly in here when Anne Ketch um, Don's wife, comes off hill behind our with first greens cross yells to me. yrd 'Hey, Rosemry, how much slt pork should I use with se greens?' I yell bck, 'You got good bunch? Use two chunks. Two good size chunks.' Then she sys, 'About hlf pound would you sy?' Tes. Cut up rel good. Tht sure is nice bunch of greens, Anne.' 'Sure is.' Well, it hppens sme wy every yer between us. We don't sy much else to one nor. With Srh it's Ompnoosic. With it's his prsnips." She hd wiped her hs gin ws fingering her wtch, stretching b to see it better. "Goodness! Just look t time. You'd best sty for supper." At supper sid, "Well, it's here." His mouth ws loosened by fermented poched prsnips. "Even though it's been coming for months, I'm lwys surprised when it finlly gets here. Fine prsnips, Mor." He te for while. Then he sid something like, "This fternoon pples tht stuck with trees ll winter dropped. The brnches don't snp, stinging your fingers like fire, nymore. At lst, now tht those trees out re hve green mist bout m, y'll stop collecting t my cp hir while I work." Poetry builds up in mn over winter. "I tell you, sometimes I feel trees out re, ll brittle bre, might one dy lift me wy into tht blck sky ". Wht re you tlking bout." "I know, Mor. It's frightening. I still sy you cn't trust m dmn pple trees until thw sets in." 70

5 "?" "AU right, Mor. I'll relent. Ah! Mighty fine prsnips." in Here's Srh now. She's just come to door to interrupt my vigil. "Pul. You're crzy to st out re hlf dressed. Come inside won't you. Plese?" There's no trce of my prk or even blnket over her rm. "It's lte, you promised to milk for Pp in morning." "Yes, I know. I know. I'll be in." Stoic. Frozen. God dmn, it's cold. "Well, I won't be prt of it. If you wnt to freeze over smll mtter like this, go right hed." "Smll mtter. Smll mtter? Do you know how dngerous tht ws. Tht ws no smll mtter." Be clm now. Clm. "Would you bring in some logs when you come." "Srh, he could hve killed you. Don't you relize tht?" "Not so loud, you'll wke up Pp. I'm going up to tke my bth." "Srh!" Quiet. Clm. "The God dmn fool...." Tht's second time tonight she's slmmed door on me. Ketchum's truck is out of sight now, only flshing yellow bursts from cb's light give wy his position. The lights re still on in his shop. My heels che. Could hve killed her. He relly could hve. Sometimes I think she cres more bout keeping this frm running thn she does me. Tht first night when prised her for jumping bre ssed into Ompnoosic, Srh Burns blushed. "Mor tells me you've been in river, Dughter. Fine. Fine. Wht girl. See your hed's good dry before you go up to bed. It's not summer time yet." You could see he ws proud she'd done it. He considers it, I think, sensul ct. After supper y left us lone in prlor. "You will hve to excuse him, Pul," she sid. "The thw lwys brings out country vudeville in Pp." She ws silent moment, drifting. "You know when Pp dies y will cut open his chest find tht his hert is s brown tough s n old berry root. His whole life he hs pulsed in sympthy with this vlley, ice breking up in river, pulse of storm clouds moving cross sky, hrvest. He's mn who knows his own deth isn't frid to look t it. Just think how mny times Pp hs lifted himself t five in morning moved cross snow-covered yrd wering those blue over 71

6 lls, tht blue white striped cp red shirt, to milk brn. Why he's done tht so mny times he knows it by hert." She pused. I ws on sitting couch. She st on chir cross prlor. "He's going to be desperte for one help dy if we're to keep this going." She sighed ws silent moment, thinking. Then she stood wlked to couch. She st on edge fcing me, elbows on her knees. Her voice ws determined but still tenttive, I remember. "I'd like to mke my home in this vlley," she sid. "I'd like to work this survive on it just like Pp's done." rv I did ll I could think of to cler drins before clling over from next door. Electric heters, hot wter, cles. The kitchen drin pipe leds directly outside to n insulted box below kitchen window. You need crowbr shovel to get to pipe. I left tht prt for Ketchum. We wited quietly in living room. The bthtub upstirs ws hlf full scummed brown. In kitchen sink cogulted grese, mtches, food prticles floted mong cold cups pltes. hd gotten cold. His house is much wrmer thn ours; he's got wood furnce he stokes three times dy. I offered him whiskey, but he lifted himself out of his chir. 'Well, I'll be over t house. If Ketchum cn't do it, it cn't be done. You milk tomorrow, Pul?" "If you wnt me to." And he left us lone before fire in our fifty-five-degree living room. We st quietly for few minutes; n I went to Srh put my h on her shoulder. "I ws just thinking bout when we first met." I begn to cress her neck. "Tht dy I first cme here." "Oh." Srh ws not responsive. "Your hs re cold." I poured myself nor bourbon st down before fire in rocker tht hd vcted. She's still blming frozen pipes on me. v After our first encounter, I begn driving north to Shrps Crossing s often s I could, our courtship picked up remrkble pce. One weekend, erly Sundy morning, I ws wkened by her whispers. She stood below my window on grss in her bthrobe nightgown. She ws whispering through screen. "Pul, I know of we quiet cn go. Let's drive to qurry for swim. There won't be nyone re this ws not erly." Rosemry wke yet, ws in working brn. I ssumed tht we left frm unseen. At qurry she sid, "Let's hurry." We took off our clos toger, 72

7 shirt, trousers, bthrobe, slippers, nightgown. Toger deep, cler pool. In wrm, erly morning sun we mde moss tht grows on grnite blocks. we swm in love on green Our courtship picked up pce to point tht fter supper tht sme Sundy, I took our wlk over frm. On tht wlk, told me number of things got his question sked. In turn, I sked him question myself. We left house by kitchen door crossed yrd to brn. checked milk storge vt?temperture level? moved to bin of pig feed. "They'll et s much s you give m." He speks in bursts when he's working. "Once ground loosens up. Lte spring. Those pigs strt right in." His voice is lmost hrsh. "You ever seen pigs beting?" is not crude mn. 'Well, old boy sets his feet climbs on. It will tke him fifteen minutes sometimes. And, I swer, you cn see how ldies love it. She'll put on smile every time. I cll it her Second Coming Smile becuse it's so filled with sunlight strs. While he's up re on her, she looks wy to s you I won't ever see. And dmned if tht smile don't fde when he climbs off... or when he don't service her proper." He lifted two buckets of pig feed onto trctor crt drove slowly towrd pig yrd which is good distnce from min house. It's closer to cretker's house, which is where we're living. All sum mer, when breeze comes off hillside, we smell pigs. I don't see how Srh sts it. I followed, wlking long side belching trctor. From top big steel set of green Oliver, sid, "This frm hs been in continuous opertion since before Revolution. Dmn ner two hundred yers. I men to keep it running. Hven't missed milking in nerly forty. We're not rich. Self-sufficient. It's lwys been tht wy. And it isn't going to chnge." The pigs, ir hind legs working furiously in yrd's muck, scmpered to feed trough. "H. Here you re." He slopped feed into trough. "It tickles me to wtch m et." We left pig yrd wlked to point ner grden bove min house. checked current in electric fence surrounding grden. "Hotch!" Below us frm buildings, houses, sheds, n ordered clen com plex, took resolve in wide "I ws vlley. born in tht house down by bridge," he sid. "The one next to Ketchum's shop. We sold tht sec tion off to him few yers bck. My fr built this house here fter I ws born. Hven't come very fr in sixty-three yers. H! Just cross We wlked bck to old green Oliver. "I don't on pln going furr." rod." too much 73

8 climbed up onto set. Before he strted off down hill to brn, he sid, "Cn't sy I've figured Srh yet. The first two youngsters mde it cler y wnted off s soon s y could. She's more like me. Seems to wnt to stick round. Cres more bout where she is thn where she's going. Like wild grss." Then, he looked t me hrd. "I ven ture," he ws dmn serious now, "I venture she won't be leving this vlley." took off his blue white striped cp, scrtched his hed, st re lordly on his old green Oliver witing for me to sk wht we both knew it ws I ws out re to sk. "Well now," replied, scrutinizing me s if for first time. If he hdn't hd slight twinkle in his eye, he could hve persuded me tht he ws relly mking decision. As it stood, I knew tht Burns hd mde up his mind long before n. I wsn't brute, but I'd do. Strong enough, he figured. Orwise, we wouldn't hve been sting up in pig yrd tlking wy we were. "You promise me one thing." "Sir?" "You promise me tht come spring she's right here to get her swim in Ompnoosic. Hell boy, if she in't, poor girl'll be froze up ll yer round." "Yes, sir. I promise." The trctor belched once rolled off towrd brn. I hd to run to keep up with him. "Nope, hven't missed in some milking forty yers. I've never seen sun come up ny or thn somewhere between tht cut top of Round Mountin re, on depending time of yer. Don't believe I'm ny worse off for it. Neir's Srh." climbed down from trctor. "She'll run you rgged, Son. Strong willed, dem ing, loves this like her mor. Loyl fithful s y mke m. Alwys believe tht." He cut motor on Oliver. We shook hs. "Welcome," he sid. "Let's go find her mor. The wy you two hve been on crrying round here ltely, she's begun to wonder if ever you'd get round to mking it legl." I flushed, kitchen door slmmed behind us. "Fine," he ws sying, "Fine. We'd like it if move you'd right into cretker's house. I'll use Ketchum prt-time until you ctch on. Then we'll let him go. This cn't support three fmilies. H! Tht's for sure. Brely supports one s it is. Srh will sty over here with us until fter In wedding. mentime, you two wnt to might fix up bit. No one's lived re for while. I know for sure wter heter's broken." "Yes, sir." "And, you might just s well strt clling 74 me."

9 'Yes, sir...." Ketchum on styed for yer or so fter we mrried; I ws slow work. Now we use only him for hying in emergencies. lerning VI A hlf n hour fter Srh clled him, Ketchum ws bcking his jeep truck? light top cb flshing yellow?right up to bck porch. He hd instlled on truck's bed some sort of power genertor rigged steel poles with f loodlights ttched to m on rer. Ketchum out lept of cb, s spry s ct on crusted snow, in his tciturn, smug mnner which lwys hs me nnoyed sid, "Got trou bles. Hey? We'll fix you up." He's too self-ssured to be sincere. He kicked over genertor, floodlights flickered slightly, n rose to full power, filling yrd with light, which ws punctuted by flsher re on volving his cb. Srh to yelled him out door. "Hello, Don." "Hello," he sid over looking my shoulder t her. I could tell by his smile his quick down glnce tht she'd given him one of her lush, sensuous smiles. Don't underestimte Srh. Even though she's frm girl t hert, she hs stunning cpcity to disrm mn. Now, s fr s I know, Ketchum hd not set foot in our house since I clled him here three yers go to fix wter heter. However, s he rn cble from genertor lid it beside soil pipe which drins bthroom toilet tub, s he threw second cble onto roof climbed nimbly up fter it, I noted with slight twinge of jelousy tht he didn't need to sk where nything ws; his fmilirity with house ws conspicuous. To retin het in upstirs bedroom, I hd tcked up plstic storm window which cme in kit. Ketchum stood looking into our bedroom to tlking Srh. "We'll hve to go through this window," he yelled through plstic glss. "Open window, Srh." She rised window stood before Ketchum s he drove cble clip through, puncturing plstic sheet. "Sorry bout tht," he sid. I stood in helpless snowy yrd below. Wtching tht ct burglr tlk to my wife from my roof gve me sense disturbing tht I'd been some how violted. I hve sme senstion of vulnerbility when I peer into my room living from window in yrd. The ws now. genertor roring He instructed Srh to run cble into bthroom clip cble's end to sink trp. He cme down from roof ttched first cble to blck soil pipe below in room storge off kitchen. Connections mde, genertor begn to strin. "We've nturl 75

10 ground," sid Ketchum s solder wdding begn to smoke. Once he unhooked cble. "Getting nything?" he yelled through floor to Srh. "Not yet," her voice ws muffled through ceiling bove us. "One more shot you will," he sid, clipping cble bck onto pipe. The soil ws pipe belching smoke now, he looked like very Devil s he stood re with hot solder popping round him. I bcked wy from sputterings. When Ketchum sw me move, he sid, "You better st cler." "Right," I sid, covering my eyes. My impulse ws to defy him, to move closer, possibly to grb pipe, to show him tht I ws not s pprehensive s I ppered From upstirs, "Oky, Don. It's ll cler." He unhooked cble. The genertor revved. "I'll come over this one dy," he sid to me. repck "Obliged if you would." Wter ws running freely down soil pipe. The mn's competence mde me ngry. It is to humiliting be mn helped by whom you find offensive. "Now for kitchen sink." Ketchum ws flushed with victory. I wtched while he pried off top of insulting box dug through lyers of hy, swdust, erth to drin pipe. While I exm ined, crelessly, Ketchum's rig, he went inside to ttch second cble to kitchen sink's trp. His yellow flsher hurt my eyes. When genertor begn to strin once gin, I went into kitchen to wtch wht I begrudgingly knew would be nor successful thwing. There squtting toger before sink were two of m. She hd her bck to me. He hunkered close in front of her. Her knees were prt her slcks stretched tight. Ketchum's hs were on sink trp, his eyes were devouring her. "Come on, Srh," he coxed. "Try it. Don't worry. There's no chnce for shock if your feet re dry." I slmmed kitchen door s hrd s I could. self." "Srh, come wy from re." I found myself yelling. "You'll kill your But no pying ttention, she clmly reched for trp tenttively covered The Mechnic's hs with her own. I think my fer? my ob vious disgust to me. defy t seeing her squtting re with Ketchum?mde her dre Brethless now, excited, she exclimed, "Oh, Don. You cn feel it. You cn ctully feel it throb like it's live." She pressed her hs on his. "Tht's wht electricity feels like," I herd him sy. He ws plesed with himself, tlking low. 76

11 "How does it work?" she sked, s she lened towrd him. My hert beting furiously, I stormed cross kitchen for her. "Electricity. I don't know how it works," he sid. I knew she ws ll right. The momentum of my rge me. propelled I couldn't stop myself. "Srh, get wy from re." I reched for her wist, trembling with nger. My hs slipped under her sweter. When I touched her bre skin, current me s begn pulsing through well. I ws still holding her wist when kitchen drin opened sucked sink empty. "There," she sid exuberntly, "You've done it, Don." I ynked Srh free from trp n. When she stood, she somehow bumped Ketchum sent him onto kitchen floor. Strtled, Srh I stood frozen for moment while Ketchum, sprwled on floor, looked up t us foolishly. Only n did I become wre tht throbbing pulse from pipe hd stopped flowing through us. Srh, who ws bffled t first by my violence, now turned towrd me ngry. "Don't you see he's done it. The sink's free." "It's free," sid Ketchum from floor. "I herd it," I sid, deeply embrrssed. When I went to help him up, Ketchum brushed my h side. He got up quickly begn winding up cbles. "We cn settle up lter, if you'd rr." "Whtever you sy." He dismissed me with cool formlity. Srh, ignoring me, went to door. "Good night, Don. Thnk you." He did not reply, but gve her one of his smug, cool nods. After he shut down genertor, he climbed in his truck slmmed door. My good night went uncknowledged. 'We could hve t lest offered him cup of coffee or some of your bourbon," Srh sid s I stood on porch wtching him spin lurch through crusted snow in yrd. Ketchum's rig hs disppered down rod now, lights hve just gone off in his shop. Wood for fire. And, Jesus, milking tomorrow morning t five. At first, I found I ws dmn ngry t m, tlking bout it mde me ngry ll over gin. But why. Wht for. Is it her wrmth. Her cre lessness. Her trusting. His God dmn competence. I suppose it is. "He doesn't deserve ny of my bourbon," I sid s Ketchum lurched out of yrd. "You could hve been killed." "Oh, dont be ridiculous. Don Ketchum lwys knows wht he is doing." 77

12 "The simple bstrd could hve killed you." "You're ridiculous. I hope your feet freeze." I begn to yell swer t her. "Quiet. Dmn you," she sid. "You wnt Pp to her us." She kitchen door left me out sting here in my slippers. slmmed I continue to hold my ground. It's getting colder now. FIELDS OF ACTION Introduction / Thoms R. Whitker The most chllenging modern poems ren't merely nrrtives or mimings of n ction s imgined tking elsewhere. Nor re y "sptil forms" which might be dequtely described by critic who gzes ctlogues from middle distnce. Fields of verbl ction, us y require to pr ticipte in ir present movements. Some of ir modes of ction re ex in plored pieces here brought toger. A second such gring will pper in our issue of Summer, 1975 (6/3). First: three essys on fields tht re simultneously "epic" "personl"?obsessed by Western history devoted to constructing something like " history of one's self." Guy Dvenport here leds us into forest of symbols tht is Ulysses; Mrjorie Perloff unfolds some origins of post symbolist lscpes in The Cntos; Shermn Pul invites us to shre tht projective openness to "context of / now" which genertes The Mximus Poems. In ddition: two new instnces of less obviously expnsive but no less "cosmic" fields. The exmple of Rimbud, s Mrjorie Perloff rgues, could urge Pound towrd n ctively presenttionl style. But for ors, of course, Rimbud hs been most centrlly voynt. And without Illumintions somewhere in bckground, would we now hve Denise Levertov's "Growth of Poet"?which seems to invite l po?sie objective to rediscover n older understing of world s potentil song of correspondence? Or W. S. Merwin's "Birds t Noon"?which seems, fter more thn decde of commitment to distnces bsences, now to open new field of lyric presence? The or side of deprture, perhps. "D?prt dns l'ffection et le bruit neufs." And lso: gesture towrd nor kind of post-poundin post-rim bldin field. (The explicit mentors here include both Cid Com?n C?sr Vllejo.) For Eshlemn's Coils poem must work through 78