New Snow

It happened quickly, not three full days after the last sturdy leaf of the flowering linden tree surrendered to late fall winds. Snowfall, lots of it. Over a foot the first time. Shoveling, digging out, slow traffic, and all those school closings. A combination of weighty snow and hard ice. At night, after the snow finally stopped, the ebony sky drew the remaining ground warmth off into the frozen atmosphere to dissipate. Ice crystals in the atmosphere surrounded the moon with a shimmering halo. Approaching a full moon, it shines regally like a pure white tea cup wearing a silver crown. It presaged months of deep cold and ice. The landscape is fortress walls of drifted and machine plowed snow. At night kaleidoscope patterns shimmer from the glow of street lights. Frozen rainbows of color greeting us when we venture out. Beauty in a season of latency and cold. Artistry and tranquility amid an austere landscape. The onset of our most dreary season or assent to time in evolution? Soon, not too many days hence, we will awaken to the pattering and splashing of rain as all life flows with new spring waters. New Snow