Memory Lane

It's snowing and I can't sleep, just like when I was a kid. I'd rest my cheek against the window glass and watch and watch till only the numbness spreading along my face forced me to bed. I wanted to see the change take place, that subtle transition from brown sleep of fall to white enchantment of winter (which I hoped would be too deep for school buses). From my pillow case, I couldn't distinguish individual snowflakes from the darkness but I could close my eyes and watch them change through a kaleidoscope of color.

Many things are different now. The window isn't where it's supposed to be and the angle is all wrong. I can't see the snow unless I open the window and step outside, which is exactly what I did. It's still powdery, the snow. Timid, unsure, weak and yet I want to run about outside in my stocking feet and shriek.

What's it about winter that makes you feel so alone?

But snow is snow and although I'm far away from many familiar things, snow is still cold, still melts in the hand, and throws very well when formed into a projectile, preferably a ball. ;)