snowy raze a man who walks with a cane he doesn't need to lean on shielded his face from the snow with a pink umbrella. he looked like a fat, miserable child. all i had to keep my head dry was a hat without a brim. flakes of frozen rain stung my eyes and turned my tongue to hailstone. when the sun was just about ready to die, the temperature dropped another three degrees, and what had been white all day made itself clear again. i goose stepped through slush to get a better look at a medley of gold leaves resting on the top rail of the picket fence. the train_whistle that's tormented me at random for the better part of the last year wheezed its stubborn, stupid song, and the light drizzle keeping me company found another gear out of spite. "even the sky thinks you're an asshole," i said, as a sour smile curled across my cold lips. 221112 ... tender_square i combed the lawn with a claw hand, scraping butterscotch and honey and making a mess of it. the compost bin could only gorge on so much sweetness before being stuffed. my back complained with every forward bend to scoop and discard. i took a shovel from the shed and stabbed repeatedly, creating room in the crush. with two piles remaining, the snow fell in weak specks, and each particle disappeared upon a season not yet ready to bear its cruel endurance. 221112 what's it to you? who go blather from