today there’s snow
on the mountains
for the first time since spring
it’s been a long summer
it seems those months of heat
get longer every year
but the winter always comes back
my mom says there is
just one yellow columbine left
in a garden once full of them
but flowers are meant to fade
the winter always comes back
slow at first
and in no time
we are switching short sleeves
for sweaters
in no time
we will be digging out driveways
bringing in wood for the stove
watching as the world
is whipped into white
by the rushing wind and flurries
it’s been a hard year for me
so many drawbacks
and rejections
but the snow
on the mountains
this morning
tells me
that the only truth is time
and the turning of the seasons
yes the summer ends
the winter always comes back
and the cold seeps into bone
but that too fades
in time the snows will recede
and new flowers
from the still wet spring dirt
will bloom again

Alexander Shalom Joseph is an award winning poet, writer and playwright from Gilpin County, and is the author of seven published books. You can find his work and more information about him at www.alexandershalomjoseph.com.