Dog’s First Snow

I.
an ocean? smell of water.
what has drowned the world
throughout the evening?

II.
a delicate step onto the muffled crust.
a momentary panic with the
sinking of the paws.

III.
nose carefully buried, inch-deep.
a tentative lick of the
pale, glittering crystals.

IV.
cold, but not so bitter –
a gossamer weave that spins a
cotton netting in the belly.

V.
joy tastes soft and frosted!
scatters and floats with a kick of the heels!
the wonder of flapping to feel it
float against the shoulders,
to see it rain against
the radiance of the sun!