Page 56 of The Secret to Belonging

October snow!

pull your huge red parka from your closet

stand outside face up

tongue out

Lise and Erik laugh from the kitchen window

you dance and pose in the falling flakes

they applaud

then clamber out the door

to pounce

you tussle together

make snowballs and snow angels

they drag the kick-sled from the shed

show you how to balance on the runners

take turns riding down the road

in peals of laughter and mouthfuls of snow

you are initiated

into winter

in the evenings

the family convenes in the TV room

chooses a program from one of three channels

or rents a video from the kiosk down the street

you like the British and American shows

because they have Norwegian subtitles

you glean much by reading along

Erik prefers children’s programming

and you like it too

so much to learn from barne TV

Bjørn makes a late supper and serves it

on the coffee table during the show

on weekends there might also be colas to drink