The streets have been cleared
and the previous night's freeze
packed the last snow fall,
eliminating the drifts covering
Illinois 64 that are impossible
to plan for and more dangerous
even, than the ice that may
or may be underneath.
The wind is blowing,
but the sun is shining
and people are out
and about because no one
expects it to last. Shopkeepers
keep the windows clear,
spruce up last month's goods,
because they know
another sunny day
may not come again
and it's the early bird
who gets the worm –
so said the preacher on Sunday.
Or was it that self help book on the bed side table?
The sidewalks are cleared –
except for in front of the houses
where the grandchildren
are too preoccupied to endure
10 minutes of the tundra.
Piles of the white stuff
around the bottom of street signs
and at cross walk corners
are there to remind us –
as if the arctic chill
and frozen snot weren't enough –
more winter is coming.