What is the snow

From My Hometown Poems series

Jan 05, 2023

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What is the snow 
If not a cold drink
From heaven
A shock
Of nourishment from above
Putting us suddenly on notice
To stop and watch 
With wide eyes and wonder
As the world disappears
Frozen for an instant.
A time to go inward
A time to wait.

What is the snow 
If not a disruption 
A danger
An deafening order
To halt.
A blunt force that heaves 
Obstacle after obstacle in our orbit.
Brutal proof
Of the violent power beyond us,
A strength that can
Snuff out
Light and life 
In a white moment.

When I was young
The blizzards came
And trapped us on the farm.
With dread and reverence 
We tramped through the bitter wind
To break the ice on watering tanks
To feed and care for precious cattle. 
Drifts piled sky high
Against snow fences 
Tree branches sparkling in the rising sun.
Later, we baked lemon cakes.
No choice but to wait
For the roads to be cleared.
Suspended 
In hardship and joy
Alone in our pale universe.
 
What is the snow
If not a sharp breath 
A pause
A shining silver mirror
Casting a raw reflection on our mortality.
A focus on our fragility
A warning 
That waiting is the way to warmth
A bracing prompt
That patience is the path.

Even today when the blizzards come
I am filled with fear and awe.
The sharp wind in my lungs
Loosens images 
Of black cattle covered in white blankets
And branches bending to the ground
As if praying
For the storm to pass.
I feel the icy flakes on my cheeks
And smell
The crisp, clean air 
The warm sweet round scent
Of sugar and citrus 
Floating from the oven.
What is the snow 
If not a memory
A reminder of humility.
A time to go inward.
A time to wait.