OctoberFebruary

A dusting of snow on the mountains
in early fall is gorgeous
tasteful perfect powdered sugar
sifted atop a still-warm-from-the-oven pastry
from the finest French bakery in the world.
Perhaps a work of art.

By late winter the snow becomes more like the
sticky, annoying, encrusted powder sugar
that my kids overloaded
onto their toaster-unfrozen waffles.
Layered on top of (and underneath)
way too much store-brand maple syrup too!
It might clean up,
eventually
but it’s gonna take longer
and more elbow grease

than anyone wants.