12.01.2010

Clean White Snow

Photobucket

It's not that I mean to hate snow.
It's just that it is so easy to hate.
The pain of pulling yourself out of your warm bed in the morning,
realizing that you may never be truly warm for the rest of the day.

But this morning, after scraping off the ice and snow from my windshield,
pulling out of our driveway, my breath visible inside my car,
I saw that sometime in the night the neighbor cat left footprints in the snow,
circling the driveway, the trees, and the sidewalk.

I raised my head and saw our neighbor boy walking to the bus stop.
Six or seven, with a blue coat and Superman backpack to match.
I watched him bend down every couple steps,
pressing his gloved hand into the snow.

I watched him as he made tracks on his all-fours,
that also circled the driveway, the trees, and the sidewalk,
his tiny tracks marking his space in this big world.
and I decided that I could love snow too.

12 comments:

Laura said...

Be thankful for snow. I miss it. A lot. I don't think it's the snow you hate...just the cold which makes snow possible :)

Grace said...

snow is pretty. i just hate the cold that comes with it. and driving in it.

Dee Paulino said...

Things like having to clean my car make me not appreciate snow so much. But at the same time I am grateful. I have a car to clean while many have to take the bus or walk.

Unknown said...

It's a love-hate sort of relationship with snow. This year I am really loving it though. It's a nice change.

swell.life said...

pretty picture!

i always embrace the snow until after christmas. then it has to go...

can't wait for spring!

Jalene said...

what a sweet moment.


loving snow was so much easier as a kid.

Melissa said...

This is so sweet. I always think of the Alpine driveway when I think of snow...the horrors of fishtailing the mustang up the concrete. :)

kels said...

I love your first two lines because I completely, completely understand (California Native). But I have really been trying to improve my attitude and this poem is a beautiful expression of what I have been working on! My method has been listening to Harry Potter on my iPod when I walk to school in the snow... HP always gives me a smile, and having a 30-min break to listen to it makes me not hate the snowy walk so much :)

Mallory Hanna said...

Love your writing style, it is so approachable and vivid. Loved this post.

Annie said...

Absolutely beautiful writing. You painted the perfect picture for your readers!

Elisa said...

such a pretty image. very soon I will be in the midwest enjoying the snow!

Brittany said...

you caught such a sweet moment. stuff like this makes me want kids. and then i realize i can't even walk on snow without falling and i decide to wait longer.