A Dust of Snow
by Robert Frost
Shook down on me
I have a friend who is a self professed crow by nature. I was fortunate to be under the sway of her good nature and inquisitive spirit during the recent snow storm and it reminded me of Robert Frost’s playful poem. We actually experienced the phenomenon of thunder snow on Friday night, complete with lightning as snow flakes came down.
For as powerful a metaphor that snow provides there are surprisingly few sonnets that have snow as a central character. The most famous is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s sonnet The Cross of Snow, written about the tragic death of his wife Fanny. Its a sad poem that doesn’t fit the humor of this April blizzard, so I rejected it as a fit in favor of Claude McKays more optimistic ode. McKay’s wish for winter to stick around a little longer has been granted here in Minnesota, but fair warning any Frosty the Snowman, temperatures are forecast in the mid 40’s the rest of the week, so the snow will disappear quickly and the robins can get back to building nests.
Our snowfall totals for the year are actually about average, it only felt like 15 feet. For a little good clean snow-white fun, check out Nick Cave’s video below.
Fourteen Lines 