His First Snow

Spring snow: This “relatively rare weather event is among only six times it has happened in the last 130 years.” Westside Seattle.com, 13 March 2026

Almost two, Cal knew instinctively

what to do—touch his tongue

to the shelf of snow

on the large pot’s rim.

His dark eyes darkened more, shifted,

registering cold,

the almost too much of it.

He bent, let it melt and drain from his lips,

turned, walked ten steps,

tilted back his face

to take in heavy flakes, we thought,

mouth open, nose running,

tongue flicking once at his own salt.

“Ah!” he said, “Ah!”

pointing to white sky,

not at snow,

as we briefly, romantically supposed,

but at the low drone of a jet

beyond sight.

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