My brother pretends he’s a spy,
loving the thrill, cold air to his face,
as we sled down into dried corn stalks,
while I wonder what episode
of Danger Mouse I could be watching
right now, right this very second,
as I careen into Shawnee Zahr,
undisputed Teen Queen of Heaven,
with her peroxide halo
and that beatific smile she turns
on both me and the seventeen kids
in Sears snowsuits laughing at me
as snot and tears freeze to my mittens.
She’s the greatest, she’s fantastic.

Jennifer Schomburg Kanke, originally from Columbus, Ohio, lives in Tallahassee, Florida, where she edits confidential government documents, which is not nearly so spy-like as it sounds. Her work has appeared previously in Drunk Monkeys, as well as in Prairie Schooner, Nimrod, and Sou'wester. She serves as a reader for Emrys.