Snow in February

 

February mixed digital media - 2021- George Roberts

In England snow fall always comes as a surprise

The day before yesterday

The day before snow fell

We saw a green woodpecker flying on an errand between two trees

And we observed a brown butterfly

As it surprised us both by fluttering by

Trying to warm its tissue paper wings in the exhausted red sunlight

Too early to rise and decidedly unwise for a summer insect in capricious February

 Then the wind changed direction to blow from the east

A gargantuan gale force Siberian blizzard of a beast

Snow suddenly here there and everywhere 

Falling from a chapped legs red raw sky

Small fine flakes swirling, dancing and drifting by

Stealing colour from the landscape and covering parked cars

Merging with moonlight and smothering distant bright stars

Snowflakes incandescent momentary flashes of white

Water frozen suspended in LED lamplight

It’s still snowing but quietly today

The sparrows lined up at dawn to see it fall

And to sneak sunflower seeds from a suspended fat ball

They watch me watching them as they scrape seeds from the fat

Watching me watching them - watching out for the cat

Have you noticed how cars purr when moving on snow covered roads?

And how the ice crunches compressed under tyre distributed loads?

From Joe's armchair I can see that

Our circular garden table has been transformed

To become a Mary Berry royally iced cake           

Egg white stiff under a shower of sieved snowflakes

George Roberts