First Snow of the Year
Soft hush beneath the streetlamp's silver sphere,
Footsteps slow as the first snow draws near.
Lanterns cradle the cold, flickering light,
Children laugh, measuring clouds with delight.
Roofs don white cloaks, every branch a bright spear,
Breath becomes frost, and the night feels clear.
Echoes of bells in the crystal air,
Promises wrapped in the hush we share.
We trace new maps where the small wonders appear,
Ink of the world rewritten this year.
Hold close the warmth that the cold can't unseal,
First snow of the year, tender, magical, real.