No two snowflakes are alike. Do you know what that means? Are you able to grasp just how much weight that statement carries? That means that even during a blizzard when the world is being consumed by snow and the flakes are falling faster than a torrential down pour and you can’t see your very own hand in front of you, still even then not one of those trillions of snowflakes will ever match another.
It’s practically unthinkable, a laughable old wive’s tale. But then I remember how I saw you that one day with your friends, laughing at something one of them said and I realize in that moment then how something like that is truly possible

All Afterglow
by Michael R. Burch

Something remarkable, perhaps ...
the color of her eyes ... though I forget
the color of her eyes ... perhaps her hair
the way it blew about ... I do not know
just what it was about her that has kept
her thought lodged deep in mine ... unmelted snow
that lasted till July would be less rare,
clasped in some frozen cavern where the wind
sculpts bright grotesqueries, ignoring springs’
and summers’ higher laws ... there thawing slow
and strange by strange degrees, one tick beyond
the freezing point which keeps all things the same
... till what remains is fragile and unlike
the world above, where melted snows and rains
form rivulets that, inundate with sun,
evaporate, and in life’s cyclic stream
remake the world again ... I do not know
that we can be remade—all afterglow.

[Note: “inundate with snow” is not a typo.] Keywords/Tags: afterglow, remarkable, light, color, eyes, hair, snow, frozen, cavern, grotesqueries, freezing, thaw, degrees, melt, melted, permafrost, snow, rain, rivulets, sun, evaporate, evaporation, love, loss, parting, separation

She is so exquisite
Even without make-up on her face
She is exceptional
Even if she lets others seem important
She is selfless
Even when the selfish surround her
She offers a lot of love
Even so, she needs it often
She has a big heart
Even though she appears small
She lets others belong
But she longs to be appreciated

She adds value
Despite her own worth being undermined
She is attentive
Nonetheless, no one pays attention to her needs
She is patient
No matter how long it takes she waits
She is giving
While no one could be willing to give
She is forgiving
Much as the worst was done against her
She is trusting
Albeit her trust was broken countless times

She is wise
In spite of being treated otherwise by some
She works hard
Notwithstanding that she requires rest
She is helpful
Yet, there is none to lend her a hand
She makes life seem easy
While going through difficult times herself
She stands by others
Although there is no one to stand by her
She chooses to be peaceful
Against being somehow provoked

She is calm
Undeterred by what is not
She is bold
In defiance of tough battles ahead
She shows bravery
Still in the presence of adversity
She is fearless
Though she may seem helpless
She is spirited
Contrary to attempts to bring her down
She is never destroyed
Irrespective of storms she faces sometimes

She keeps moving forward
Granting the hindrances along the way
She stands in the gap
And make things happen
She does not look down on others
Regardless of some doing so to her
She recognizes those who shielded her on rainy days
Whenever the sun shines upon her
She keeps on running her race
Because she knows for her, grace is abundant
She puts a smile on, always
Since prayer keeps her in the right place

She is an inspiration
A pioneer of transformation
Cheerleader for economic revolution
How the world adores such
A remarkable woman!