Sunday, November 14, 2010

the little snow


it arrives under cover of rain
a cold thin rain
that passes through you
rather than around you

(happily
the rain passes quickly
through
a thin man
like myself)

then the snow
arrives -
a surreptitious
undercover movement
that sees silver streaks and white flakes
fall earthwards
side-by-side
until suddenly
and very obviously
there is only snow

and the kids run to the window
as if it was their
first time viewing
and i find myself right beside them
out on the playing field
my tongue out
lunging for the quick candy goodness
of its impossible
and shocking cold

~

i wonder at the tiny islands
of ice
clinging to the little
leafy brown rafts
sailing from autumn's shore

15 comments:

The Weaver of Grass said...

I love those 'tiny islands' steven - I shall never look at this kind of snow in the same light again!

Anonymous said...

Ah, those leafy brown sackclothy rafts. We haven't had any snow yet, just unseasonably warm November days. I look forward to the lunging, tongue out.

Ruth said...

Oops, I accidentally clicked on anonymous. That was my comment about the sackclothy leaves...

Elisabeth said...

Snow already, so soon. I can hardly believe it. A minute ago it was summer.

Reya Mellicker said...

How gorgeous - the words, the images and your new banner. Wow. An explosion of gold. Fireworks to keep you warm during the winter.

My friend Donald talks about "snow ponies" - how they gallup through Minneapolis (where he lives).

I love snow.

Linda Sue said...

The first snow is always an event- Miraculous that this white stuff falls so nicely , clothes the dirty street in a cashmere twinkly blanket, equaling it's beauty with that of the gloriously covered grassy hillside. It's magic! By the fifth snow it losses some of it's appeal- too much of a good thing?
Nature- she's a creative old girl! Love your photos of her work!

Friko said...

Beautiful words, steven, beautiful pictures.

The rain going through a thin man like you quickly, is an amusing image. If you were fatter, would the rain warm up by the time it got to your middle?

steven said...

hello weaver! yes they appear like that when it's a half-snow. not much fell and of course it has melted away. the temperature hovers below zero at night and then rises into the pluses through the day. we may make it through november without snow on the ground for any length of time. more biking time for me!! steven

steven said...

ahhh ruth how could you be anonymous!!!! yes the big snows are yet to come but i make of them what i can. learn from the kids. steven

steven said...

elsiabeth we've actually been very fortunate to not have more snow. west of us they have had major snowstorms. steven

steven said...

reya - snow ponies - how good is that!!! the fireworks on my banner are a plant in the back garden. it gives and gives and gives year-round. simple inspiration. steven

steven said...

linda sue - it's too true and i remember a winter a couple of years ago when we ran out of places to put the snow and it was overwhelming and people were grey inside and out as they tried so hard to melt the snow's impact on their world. steven

steven said...

friko thankyou! i was riding through a cold november rain this afternoon and it was the miracle of lycra and two layers of some other manmade fabric that kept the rain away from my essentially bone and gristle body. i have thought about getting fatter to keep the rain and chill out but it isn't my lot in life - yet. steven

Meri said...

Oh I remember that cold candy goodness -- and the feeling of having them land like little airplanes on my eyelashes.

Golden West said...

Is it just me or is time flying past more quickly than ever? Almost winter again, already? Always happy to stop by and start the day with beauty.