Snow in springtime

And the snow came

On the fifth day of springtime

After the birds sang in joy at the sunshine

After the maple painted the sky pink with her blossoms

And the willow shown gold with the promise of leaves

The snow came

Steady, silent, white, and biting cold

We lit the long-abandoned fireplace 

But it wasn't enough to return our fingers from cardboard to flesh

I heard the bones of the oak tree creaking

Heard the delicate green of her buds shivering in cold

The snow kept on

Whiteness covering all and muffling our dissenting protest

Until

At the end of the second day

Of snow on the sixth day of springtime

The weight of the wet, white snow became to much for the oak to bear and she

Cracked

And fell alongside the power lines

The birds were too cold to mourn.