Snow Carvings

Snow Carvings

I thought we would miss winter this year.

There was no snow in November

And I was sorry I hauled the boat.

There was no snow in December

And I was sorry Christmas wasn’t white.

In January, we froze and pipes burst

But it still didn’t snow.

In February, the winds came

And they brought the snow.

Dusting to powder to inches to feet,

Drifts covered the dinghy.

The snow was so deep that it slid

Off the roof of the woodshed

Onto the stone patio

Where the winds carved words

I did not understand.

I tried to read them before the winds

Changed them, or me.

I thought we would miss winter this year

But now I know that I would really

Miss winter if winter missed me.

Tom Crowley, Winter, 2010-11