Many thousand glittering motes
Crowd forward greedily together
In trembling circles.
Extravagantly carousing away
For a whole hour rapidly vanishing,
They rave, delirious, a shrill whir,
Shivering with joy against death.
While kingdoms, sunk into ruin,
Whose thrones, heavy with gold, instantly scattered
Into night and legend, without leaving a trace,
Have never known so fierce a dancing.

We were told to expect snow
Snow, again.
Greeted by crisp hope and freezing air
We waited…
Dogs sniffed the air and each other
Hawks sat and wrapped themselves in feathered shawls
Discreet expectations
Anticipations of broken routines that might
Hold us captive to our homes
Caressed by comforting teas and naughty cakes

It didn’t snow.
Still, we stayed
Home
Held the dogs
Surrendered to self-imposed captivity