First Snow

The forecast said it plainly
And I read it like the news
Filed it under Tuesday
With the traffic and the dues
There was a boy who'd press his forehead
To the coldest of the glass
Praying, let it stick, oh let it stick
When did praying become forecast

And the first flake fell
Past the streetlight's cone
And something nine years old in me
Stirred beneath the snow

Let it stick
Let it stay
Slow it all
White the gray
Wake the boy
Watch the sky
Still falls
Still falls
And so, still, do I

Somewhere I got weatherproofed
Sealed the seams and shut the vents
Called it wisdom, called it grown-up
Wonder filed as an expense
But the snow don't ask permission
And it doesn't check your age
It just turns the whole world quiet
Till the oldest heart's a page

So I stepped out with no jacket
Like a fool, like a kid
Caught one on my tongue and laughed out loud
God, I'm glad I did

Let it stick
Let it stay
Slow it all
White the gray
Wake the boy
Watch the sky
Still falls
Still falls
And so, still, do I

Forty-five winters
And it still stops the world

Let it stick
It can stay
Slowed it all
Loved the gray
Woke the boy
Kept the sky
Still falls
Still falls
And so, still, will I

Forehead to the coldest glass
Praying, not forecasting