The Teens Arrived on Tuesday

The Teens Arrived on Tuesday

German Shepherd
In heart-gouging crouch
Frozen pads, three nights in a row
No beach walk for Rosie

We missed
Meteor showers and a moon so full
And buoyant like
An intruder over your shoulder

The teens returned
In the twilight of Friday winter
Sky Wisconsin slate
Dull, gray, opaque
But for boundless snow

A blizzard
No delicate flakes, this one
Dense snow dead serious
Massive accumulation

We trudge
Through waves of white sludge
To the beach
Rosie meandering mostly, nose on snow
Her tracks as proof
She would never leave me

Lake Michigan quietly thickening
A frosty no dog’s land
Between drifted beach and dreadful waves

Rosie often laps at water’s edge
Then bites waves
But tonight she finds something there
Between slush and ice
She does not venture
Good girl

About the Author

Elizabeth G Fagan is a writer and artist who resides on Lake Michigan’s shoreline in southeastern Wisconsin—a place she calls Lake Michigan’s Left Coast. She’s been writing since she was a teenager. Her professional career in Corporate American spanned more than 35 years. She held positions such positions as:

• Senior Editor (Rand McNally, Skokie, IL
• Help Author (Microsoft, Redmond, WA)
• Manager of Web Development (Oprah.com, Harpo, Chicago, IL)

Fagan attended The Hammonasset School, a private arts high school in Connecticut, where she began writing, taking photographs, and making art. She earned a BA in English at Grinnell College (Grinnell, Iowa) and the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC). She has an MA in Linguistics with a specialization in teaching English as a second language (ESL) from UIC. Fagan later gained an associate degree in Web Development from DePaul University, Chicago.

Fagan was born in Madison, WI. Her family lived in Thiensville during her early childhood. In 2014, he moved to an old cottage on Lake Michigan in northern Ozaukee County. She is very happy to leave Corporate America behind and return to making art.