Holding Out - May 20 2023

 

Holding Out

May 20 2023

On the south side

hard against the trees

a rump of well-packed snow

is holding out.

Late May, and how unlikely is this?

A sanctuary of shade,

a model of persistence.

A hot day

the sun at its zenith.

But standing close

I can feel the cold

washing over me,

step back and feel the heat.

Water

trickles from the bottom

and pools at my feet.

The snow is soiled, coarse, pock-marked

and won't last much longer.

But for now

I relish the incongruity;

winter

coexisting with summer,

the juxtaposition

of fire and ice.

Yet it's only a month away

from when the days start to shorten.

Next year

when the driveway is plowed

I'll ask him to bank it higher.

A mountain of snow,

lasting through summer

and into the fall.

A cool balm

for sunburned skin.

Toboggan rides

and snowball fights in August.

Pina coladas

on ice.