the way snow tastes

                                        pink tongue iced        like seventh birthday cake         flake deliquesces  

      coolth embraces brain tight         prompts water         cycle         the way this snow is         last year’s snow         is equinoctial rain         is sunrisewarmed dew         is steam of tea         is black clag of mud         is oceanic beads         flung into air as you toss seaweeded hair         as we try again & again for the perfect instagram pic         shivering with wet which is         the same as chill

         same as thrill or         delight which is the same as         fear         the way this snow is spitting lawn sprinklers      chlorinated backyard pools         aerial waterbombers         dousing wildfires in northeast         & southwest & northwest         & places with less gdp & global news coverage

        than the us         the way this snow is high tides rising         bert’s downpour flooding the defenceless         blockage through drainage         without precautionary peats sponging deluge   

     now drought & decarbonisation soiling the christmas tree industry         evergreen firs stretching needles like         hands & tongues         pink trying to catch         the way snow tastes