Desert Snow by Emily Strauss

Desert Snow
by
Emily Strauss

Salty dry like the desert itself

the snow falls in bursts, pounds

like tiny rice grains, collects fast

into drifts, blows like the dust

that usually thickens the air but

so cold my hands stiffen

and fail to work,

so cold that it lies in the bone dry

washes waiting for the sun, reminding

me of salt before it fades away

at the first rays

as if it never was.

Emily Strauss has an M.A. in English, but is self-taught in poetry, which she has written since college. More than 550 of her poems appear in a wide variety of online venues and in anthologies, in the U.S. and abroad. The natural world of the American West is Emily’s usual framework; she also considers the narratives of people and places around her. Emily is a retired teacher and lives in Oregon with a small dog and a black cat.

Eiken:
Lovely, quite surreal! Maire x
Posted 11/12/2012 12:16 PM

Larry Schug:
Snow in the desert is a mystical and metaphorical experience, though really a function of altitude, most likely. The poem rings true.
Posted 11/12/2012 11:50 AM

rtaylor947@aol.com:
I've never seen snow in the desert either, but this poem really puts me there.
Posted 11/12/2012 09:20 AM

John:
A fine desert painting; I can see the drifts blowing in the wind.
Posted 11/12/2012 08:29 AM

dotief@comcast.net:
Very nice! I love the line breaks. The images are beautifully rendered.
Posted 11/12/2012 05:36 AM

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