Past my window a snowflake fell,
Down from heaven, a gift to hell,
Caught by wind it wheeled and spun,
Encased by grey, it shone like sun.

The unseen wind carried it aloft,
Then let it drift, slow and soft,
Secure in heaven's last embrace,
The snowflake knows no need for haste.

I watched it dance and pirouette,
A satin dream in silhouette,
Silky white Chantilly lace,
A teardrop on my lover's face.

It called to mind the winters past,
The ones to come, though none will last,
The snowflake and the winter, too,
Drift through life like me and you.