Spring Snow Shower

Puffs of snow fill the notches branching in bare lilac bushes.
A curtain of flakes rains silently through the darkening sky,
makes soft assault on the bare cherry tree outside my window.
Squirrels have long ago stripped away even the final mushy
shriveled stragglers. None comes around looking anymore.

Fragile dogwood and swollen magnolia buds patiently cling
where they hang, waiting out this late-winter snow shower.
Fluff blankets the grass, our lawn taking on the pristine
appearance of a christening gown, summoning nature’s renewal.
When the sun comes up tomorrow, everything will sparkle.
Before the snowmelt. Before the first warm breath of spring.

first published in The Weekly Avocet