what snow reveals
in hiding the ground
is no less than the lay of the land
under her fur of bare trees
the curves become clear
their geologic easier to follow
plain as a line of tracks
snow’s other revelation
how the land does in fact
belong to many others
who happen to keep
largely to themselves
as witnessed by hoarfrost
forming at the mouth of a burrow
from some deep breather
in a dreamless den
or the snow angel left
by an owl’s midnight raid
the splay of featherprints
a few drops of blood
disappearing in a squall
the snow showing its truest face
and when it stops
the air smells cleaner
a junco pours out his song
beside the spring
its dark water a refuge
from all this seeing
