Snow globe

without electricity and snow piling up
two feet - so far
I remember the power of heat
the potency of having light with the flip of a finger
and hot water

layers of clothing replace heat
for a little while
shoveling helps generate heat
for a little while too
neighbor kids are priceless
in their youth and available strength

candles bring light before and after the snow-muted
sun seeps through
luckily those candles bring something else
into the cold reaching through the windows and walls
they too reach out with soft illumination

reminding me of a quiet place that knows
“this too shall pass”
that sees it is okay to have your world turned upside down
like the small snow-globe glass worlds I was given
as a child from my grandmother.

You shake or turn it upside down and the snow
falls all around-a lot like my world today
maybe the spirits know something and
shook this mountain and our home upside down
and snow is falling all around

Mary