by Timothy Vinson

I step off the warm comfort of the bus
And am immediately enveloped in an
Engulfing sheet of blinding white.
I feel the mixture of wet slush and
Hardened fragments of rock salt under
The soles of my Merrell hiking shoes.
Little white bits of snow fall all around
Me, swallowing me, turning my black
Winter jacket into a mixed gray color.
I never realized the similarity that snow
Has with dust. It scatters and covers
Everything around us, lying on top of all
That it touches but never being able to
Stay on top. Once brushed off it reveals
The clean surface underneath. But not
Today, today the snow will persist and
Cover all the world in a blanket of
Pure white. Often times when I am safe
And warm inside I notice how beautiful
The snow can be as it covers the entire world
And for a moment I can forget how I hate
The snow and the nuisance that it continues to
Create in the winter. That passes once I enter
The world and feel the cold embrace me all over
Again. Winter, truly the worst of the seasons.