The Snow Man by Alley
Alley wrote this for her Dad and for all the times he goes out to clear the snow during the storms.
The Snow Man
He put on the thick black ski gloves
They were a Christmas present last year.
His hands won’t freeze this winter.
And I know he loves us.
He pulls on the chain, a brief rumbling response
It’s time to wake the hungry ice-eater
He pulls twice more, now the hum beats steady
Its hungry mouth ready with angry blades for teeth
He tells me to stay on the hill
He keeps me at a distance, doesn’t want me close
But I’m in silent isolation across the field of foggy glass
Quiet, white memories of the sky fall down
They dance upon my eyelashes, as I watch in perfect stillness
He carves a path, rounding the icy tundra
Fighting the frozen crystals with dedication
Pushing the angry dragon and slaying ice with fire
Breathing the snow back to the ground
But there is more this year
He does not yield; he will fight until it is won
But it is getting harder every year and his tracks have already been covered
But I still wait, with him out here in the cold for his surrender
Dreaming of the hot cocoa and a nest of warm blankets
Pretending we’ll all sit together, smiling
As we drink the warm chocolate fire till our bellies are full
But I know he won’t
He will retire alone, with sad eyes for his weary head
He will fall asleep early and in the morning he will leave
Long before the sun peers its face between the shades
I wipe my arm across my stinging nose, shivering and watching,
For still — I know he loves us.