Snowflakes – a bedtime rhyme
(for Yvonne, especially)
by Linda Haggerstone, 2017

One little snowflake
Dancing down to earth
Delicately melting
Quenching its thirst

Two little snowflakes
Crystalline and fair
Hold out their fragile arms
See how they dare!

Three little snowflakes
Linked all in a row
Tiny edges sharpened
Against hatred’s blow

Four little snowflakes
Whisper in the dark
Each story is diff’rent
But comes from one heart…

Twenty little snowflakes
Falling from the sky
Swirling ’round together
Catching strangers’ eyes

Fifty little snowflakes
Powder soft and light
A cov’ring so gentle
Belying their might…

One hundred little snowflakes
Scattered on the ground
Gathering like snowdrops
With roots stretching down

One thousand little snowflakes
Feathers on the wind
Cautious hands reach for them
Icy on bare skin…

One hundred thousand snowflakes
Form a snowdrift mean
Mufflin’ down harsh footsteps
And sheltering the green

Five hundred thousand snowflakes
As silent as the night
Rolled up cold and waiting
They’re ready for the fight…

One million little snowflakes
Call the power within
Avalanche and blizzard
With confidence they sing!

One billion little snowflakes
Come, flood away fear’s curse
Respectful, protecting
The rise of hope on earth