The poetry of Mary Oliver resonated with me long before I learned that she had been a high school camper at Interlochen. This time of year, I find myself rereading her poems about snow.
However, I find my self at odds with her reflections in “Snowy Night” in which she wrote:
“Snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness.”
And further, she mused:
“I suppose
if this were someone else’s story
they would have insisted on knowing
whatever is knowable.”
I confess, I am that someone else who insists on knowing whatever is knowable.
Though I am not a big fan of driving in it, I love the snow that forms a blanket protecting the plants and wildlife from the unrelenting cold.
I am grateful for the snow that insulates the ice-covered lakes enabling life to continue beneath surface.
I appreciate that snow acts as an air purifier because, as Oliver describes it, “the soft glitter falling through the air” actually removes contaminants and also and nourishes the soil with minerals.
And finally, I cherish the snow because when spring comes, the melting snow will provides plants life-giving water and fill the tributaries just in time for fish spawn. And spring snowmelt is responsible for a large percentage of the annual groundwater recharge.
I agree with Mary Oliver’s conclusion:
“I wish great welcome to the snow,
whatever its severe and comfortless
and beautiful meaning."