A Snow Blizzard Warning Poem by Deanna Samuels

There had been a weather warning
in fact, a three day hence weather warning
that it was definitely coming.
The day came of this due storm
and would start about mid-afternoon,
the west first and then to the east.
Other warnings announced not to travel
from late afternoon to next day noon.
Snow would get heavy and ice pellets
expected as temperature rises.
Already, newscasts advise school busses stopped
and regular bus routes using steep hills cancelled.

Well, bang on time, the snow blizzard happened
when driving, returning to the east.
First, light snow fell about 4pm
accompanied by a keen cold wind.
The approaching horizon became mistier, darker,
more unwelcoming by the minute
and the snow-flakes became larger,
intensifying their cover, road markings succumbed.
Flakes now thicker, floating down quickly
accumulating, just as arrived at destination.

All evening, all night long it snowed and
as dawn broke, was falling slowly and less dense,
the scene was magical in the half light
and everywhere, so still,
under a thick blanket of snow.
Nothing moved, forest creature or fir frond.
As morning crept in, the snow storm passed
leaving the scene with look of dazzling wonderment,
a wonderment of winter wonderland.

Yet, as the world awoke to move along,
snowplows had already been to clear the roads,
households clearing snow off their cars,
shoveling it aside from their drives and paths
to prepare to get on with life of the day.
That earlier, beautiful scene of untouched snow
gone, though, where it did lay undisturbed
from untrodden paths and yonder forest,
remained a picture of nature's winter beauty.


Written at Courtice, Ontario - 12th/13th February 2025.