Iced

[rejectomorph]

I wasn't surprised when rain began falling again in the middle of the night. I was quite surprised when it began to snow. The unexpected white stuff fell for only half an hour before returning to the more seasonally appropriate liquid form. Then the fallen snow froze. There were patches of stars, even while the snow was still coming down, and then the storm began breaking up and the moon emerged, its light revealing eerily white trees and lawns and rooftops. Though the rain then ceased, the sound of dripping water continued for some time.

Now, enough vapor remains in the air to turn the waning moon the color of a ripe peach, and the gray morning world is covered with glistening rime. I can take thin coins of ice from the leaves of the bushes and toss them. They make a satisfying cracking noise as they hit the pavement. The songbirds twitter the news. Spring has bloomed with ice.