Alone again herself, she saw the loneliness of others. Stray mittens and gloves in parking spaces, on snowbanks and sidewalks.

She brought them home, washed and dried them, wore them as others wear mismatched socks.

Now when she claps her hands the soft thick sound makes her broken heart glad.

Mary Steer is a word nerd living west of Toronto, where she works and reworks stories from life and imagination. When she’s not writing or editing, she likes to dabble in physics (knitting) and chemistry (baking).