YOUNG WIVES TALES
C Ra McGuirt
anyone in
the western world
with any sense
knows
that going outside
barefoot
or next to bareassed
in the cold
does not give colds
to anyone;
colds are caused
by viruses,
and that you're better off
naked in the snow
than in a room
full of people.
my young wife
has never heard
of this
superstition:
her medical education
comes by way
of the old wives
of her country.
so I put my shoes on
and yes, my coat
before I go out:
a man can dispute
with his wife
of things unprovable
and unseen,
and sometimes come out
the winner,
but I know better
than to argue with
Holy Mother Russia.