I stood in the first hard snow of winter,
Bitter to the bone with the frost.
But she danced beneath the falling flakes,
All the guile of adulthood somehow lost.
Soon she looked sweet and sugar coated,
Delicious and infectious with her glee.
I stood protected from the wind and watched
Until she spread wide her arms and beckoned me
Bundled snugly, from heavy socks to hooded head,
I made my way until the warmth of her breath warmed my world,
And suddenly I found the wonder in each and every flake
Through the eyes of this sweet forty year-old girl.
Soon we were making snow angels and playing like children,
Until so tired it seemed we could not rise,
And then, while my hand was in hers, we felt a touch of sadness,
Each of us staring into the clearing, snowless skies.
I wish some hand would shake the world like a globe
And make the snow swirl once again,
Giving us the madness of youth in middle age
And warm our hearts as it did back then.