search articles:     from the issue of December 1, 2005         American Life in Poetry  BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE Massachusetts poet J. Lorraine Brown has used an unusual image in "Tintype on the Pond, 1925." This poem, like many others, offers us a unique experience, presented as a gift, for us to respond to as we will. We need not ferret out a hidden message. How many of us will recall this little scene the next time we see ice skates or a Sunday-dinner roast? Tintype on the Pond, 1925 Believe it or not, the old woman said, and I tried to picture it: a girl, the polished white ribs of a roast tied to her boots with twine, the twine coated with candle wax so she could glide uninterrupted across the ice - my mother, skating on bones. Reprinted from "Eclipse" by permission of the author. Poem copyright (c) 2004 by J. Lorraine Brown. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The Library of Congress, and the UNL Department of English. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry. GO TO: ISSUE OF DECEMBER 1 ARTS HEADLINES FOR DECEMBER 1 'Millie' flaps into Lied Center Dec. 7-9 American Life in Poetry BFA Capstone exhibition opens Dec. 5 Brickman brings friends to help celebrate the holiday with music Kooser, poetry featured on NET Television special NET Radio plays 'Christus,' other holiday favorites Ross to play Christmas in the Clouds Signing, reception for Sheldon book Dec. 2 732281S35258X