Today I opened
my window curtains
to snow, magnolia white,
lovely and unstoppable
as a waterfall.
Snow on every roof,
every branch,
every driveway,
every car and street,
every mailbox, sidewalk, yard,
every path, meadow, river, lake,
falling flakes,
falling light rain,
and fallen, grounded,
weighted, wet, perfect,
snow-ball, snow-man,
snow-igloo snow.

Soon, I was in the midst
of three hours of shoveling,
the heaviest snow
I have ever known,
like lifting weights
again, again, over and over.
Scraping the cement walk,
the driveway, I pushed snow,
onto the shovel and - oofta -
hoisted, placing,
and sometimes throwing the snow,
onto a building, mountaining bank.
Boulders waited for me
at the end of the drive.
Like in "Bambi"
snow plopped
from tree branches
onto my head!

For some crazy, wondrous reason
I love shoveling snow,
love snow and rain,
sister snow,
twin brother rain,
marvels of the earth.

Walking tomorrow
in the white sun
I'll know snow is
more precious than
diamonds to farmers
and nonfarmers alike,
protecting plants,
melting into the earth
as water.
People do not die
because of snow.
We are alive
because of it.
And I love water
even more than snow.