I Wonder About the Purpose of Snow

I wonder about the purpose of snow.
We got a couple inches overnight
So infrequently do we get snow
That it still seems special every time;
Exciting, a wonderful wonderland.
I admire its beauty all the while
Cursing the cold and worse the ice.
I laugh at jokes about dogs being frozen
To fire hydrants.

I wonder about the purpose of snow.
Our winters are normally mild
We go years without ever seeing snow.
We never owned gloves and so
We had to make do by putting socks
On our hands before going outside.
I never made a snow angel.
I didn't want to get that intimate
With the snow I knew wouldn't last.
I'd rather appreciate it from afar.
I preferred to stay inside where it was warm,
To look out at the snow-covered world
While sipping hot chocolate at the kitchen table.

I wonder about the purpose of snow.
We received two inches overnight,
On the same date as the blizzard of '93
Which locked us down unprepared
With only milk and bread which we always
Buy when snow is in the forecast.
I assume we are to eat milk sandwiches
Until our fingers fall off for lack of gloves.
But usually, by lunch time or early afternoon
The sun comes out and melts the magic away.
The only snow that remains Is in the shady spots of trees
- And our memories.