First Snow

Poem by Sylvia Mattingly – January 10, 2016

a first kiss of snow

with a first kiss of snow on a january day 

perhaps winter at last has something to say

after patiently biding its time to alight

it has covered the earth with a blanket of white

 

it is not as though winter has come without warning

the animals sensed it on yesterday’s morning

with instinctual nature that leads them to know

when to gather and store for the coming of snow

 

as the whitetail deer hungrily forage on grass

the squirrels in my yard bury acorns en masse

and i watch them and learn from their God given ways

that teach me to ready for the hardest of days

 

now that winter has come in a vision of white

and has hung up its coat in the dark depths of night

we can rest in the peace that the snow comes with reason

and trust without doubt that we need this cold season

 

eventually the coldness of winter will wane

and the passing of time will ensure the spring rain

but for now we must live with a sky full of gray

and a first kiss of snow on a january day

 

“A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder.” Susan Orlean

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