early March surprise

early March surprise

snowfall coats the north face of

everything standing still

Early March, that adolescent time between Winter and Spring, one moment throwing a tantrum, the next moment a warm hug. The day begins mildly enough, gray sky, just above freezing. Mid-morning, big blobs of wet snow pelting sideways. A girl in white tights and a puffy red jacket scurries by under a purple umbrella. Trees, plastered white on the north side, look like skeletons. A tree peony wears a crown capped with ermine. By mid-afternoon, it's warming up and the snow turns to sleet and slush. Wind blows the heavy, wet snow off the branches, splattering and riddling the granular crystals on the ground. The white icing on trees, poles and buildings sags and sinks like sinuous white snakes.