First Snow

I heard snow was white

And snow was heavenly. 

The first snowfall I witnessed

Was indeed white and heavenly.

That evening the sky opened,

And shreds of cotton began to descend,

Turning everything white. 

I stood under the sky

With my palms open,

And my face up. 

Crisp, fluffy snow

Fell on my brown face. 

It felt cool and powdery. 

It was the winter of 2008,

It was the first snowfall of my life. 

© Wara Karim