As Crystals Come Together

John McClenahen, Georgetown University

Through double-paned glass,

snow falls on cedars,

on forests of firs, and on blades of grass,

and on the pond,

and on the pile of dirt

near the place where we dug

into the earth only yesterday.

Snow softens all in sight,

bringing a certain sameness to the scene,

and yet drawing us out

from the warmth inside

into the cold outside.

To watch with wonder

and wonder what attracts us

as before us crystals come together.