O snow! I owe you for joy,
For the cold bliss you bring
Each winter to my soul;
You make me sing

Of blizzard winds that pile
You high in fields and banks,
That mount up to the sky,
Eliciting wild, happy thanks

For being buried in my home,
And stopping all obligations
So that I may wander and wonder
In my soul’s oblations;

Tramping and skiing in your
Powdery presence night and day,
With the frozen pleasures of greenless
Trees and other treasures on my way,

With other greens that ever
Speak of life amidst my trek
In woods and fields where
Wildlife play within the wreck

Of winter’s stern regimen—
Demanding fortitude and grit
To stay until the hope of spring
Rewards your persevering wit.

But snow, I hate to see you go,
Since daily exercise and winter air
Are my chief sustenance in cold;
Without you I would despair.

Ordained Servant Online, January 2020