First Snow (Oct 24, 1997).

I'm sitting here at work, watching the first snow of the winter. There are surprisingly large snow flakes, all whirling around as the wind blows them between the buildings. The drastic change in everything once its covered in a couple of inches of snow is amazing. With the fog/snow so thick I can't see the nearby mountains towering above me and the red, orange, yellow and green of the fall leaves blurry and appearing detached. There is a very surreal feeling, as if I've wandered away from everything involved in my daily life. As if I've been momentarily sent into some other place where props have been set up near me so it looks the same but the more I look the more I see things in the distant just aren't right.

The old pine tree stands.
  (bows actually).
A white coat draped over its left side
  by the blasting winter wind.
Its right side still
  clear.  Straight.  Stong.
So pretty a load 
  but enough to bend it's posture.

Safe in my daily grind.
  (routine actually).
That same blasted winter wind
  adds it's weight to me as well.
My work only slightly affected
  by my attentive window gazing.
So pretty a season
  but enough to dampen my emotions.

What happened to all the time...
When can I...
What...

The snow flakes slowly spin past the building
  on some windy merry-go-round.
Somewhere, my mountains stand
  shouldering their own wintery load.

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Alan Fleming alanf@dorje.com