Poem by Sharon Waller Knutson

Wolf at the Door

Mama presses the steam iron
to the Brownie Uniform
I once wore that now
belongs to my sister and then
to the green Girl Scout uniform
I proudly wear. While she puts away
the ironing board, I fry the ground
beef in the skillet and pour tomatoes
and pinto beans in a pot. I’m making
Wolf at the Door for supper to practice
for the scout weekend campout,
I tell Daddy as he carries in
the big box of Girl Scout cookies
Judy and I will be selling door to door.
Daddy peels and dices an onion
and tosses it in the sizzling skillet
sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Judy takes out the graham crackers
and covers them with marshmallows
and chocolate and melts them
on the broiler. Daddy and Mama
always managed to keep our bellies
full and the hungry howling wolf
at the door out of our house.

Originally published in The Leading Ladies of My Life (Cyberwit 2023.)

Sharon Waller Knutson has published eleven poetry books including What the Clairvoyant Doesn’t Say (Kelsay Books 2021) and her twelfth book, ‘My Grandfather is a Cowboy” is forthcoming in 2024. Her work has also appeared in more than 50 journals.

---