First Snow

White and black tree illustration

Arriving in the crease of dawn
not quite light not quite raw
like a whirling dervish in the sand
ecstatic flakes begin to land
haphazardly across a stretch of lawn
scattered with dead hickory leaves drawn
from cold, black stalks
bleary with hints of white chalk
creeping up these craggy spines of lumber
as a morning world wakes from it’s slumber
first snow

Poem by Mark Hammerschick

Mark writes poetry and fiction. He holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and a BS and MBA. He is a lifelong resident of the Chicago area and currently lives on the north shore, most of his professional career has been focused on digital strategy and online consulting as a solution architect and digital transformation strategist. His current work will be published in The Metaworker, Vext Magazine, Breadcrumbs Magazine, Meat for Tea: The Valley Review, Lucky Jefferson, The Fictional Café, Wingless Dreamer, HP 2020 Poetry Challenge, Trolley Magazine, Blood and Thunder: Musings on the Art of Medicine, The Write Launch, Scarlet Leaf Review, North Dakota Quarterly, The Showbear Family Circus, Carcinogenic Poetry, The Toasted Cheese Literary Journal, Change Seven, Panoplyzine, Borrowed Solace and Waxing and Waning.