Millennial Snow
J. Quinn Brisben
Near Sleeping Bear Dunes the snow fell straight
To cap the posts with perfect cones and toques
On pediments eroded by the windless weight
Of days that cycle ice to crystal yokes.
Stiff branches bend, steep roofs grow thick with white,
Sclerotic roads lose lanes, big plows cut paths
Through malls and hospital lots, where speed just might
Save lives, to shower blanched curbs with slushy baths.
The children's arms make angels, track the fields
Beside the wilder game. Ongoing time demands
Disruption, pristine cover quickly yields.
The perfect snow distorts with living hands.
Gone back to school, we sense the children's power
On floors whose polish will not last an hour.
