MISTY DAYS The light changes quickly as mist rains on the fields where cattle shelter. Heavy drops split, as they hit the backs of the coloured animals, shading their coats. Ducks quack at the pool edge, leaving prints of webbed feet in mushy soil. The dog wanders through the kitchen shaking water from his shaggy coat. Children run along the road, trying to stop the mist, settling on their tiny faces. A cart creaks by, hitting puddles on the road. The harness sheds water onto the horse's body. -- Mary Guckian, "The Road to Gowel" (Swan Press, 2000)