Author’s Note: I love snow and have written about it a number of times (and am actually doing so now). This poem touches on memories of snow in three different places, one from many years ago. In this poem, I was struck by the planes and angles in the snow landscape, and then reached back to other snows, other times.
14 Inches of Snow
A white ocean
the geometry of thick snow atop bare branches
of wind swirling the snow down the street
of snow plowed into hills
of a teenage boy sliding down the hills on a skateboard.
White softness weightless
ness pure powder falling through space
falling through the night
mingled with the ducks’ calls from the frozen pond.
I remember when we ice-skated
at night in Loring Park
while the silent snow
fell slowly all about us.
♦
Madeleine Cohen Oakley is a retired librarian in upstate New York. She loves words, language, and grammar, and is a firm believer in the serial comma. She especially loves working with children to write poetry. Oakley has participated in writing programs at The Writer’s Center, in Bethesda, Maryland.
Delmarva Review, published annually from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, has featured the new writing of 550 authors in its sixteen-year history. Editors read thousands of submissions to select the most compelling original poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Almost half are from the Chesapeake and Delmarva region. It is available in paperback and digital editions from online booksellers and regional specialty bookstores. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, support comes from tax-deductible contributions and a grant from Talbot Arts with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council. Website: www.DelmarvaReview.org
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