String Haiku for Three Nor’Easters

March came in, lion
Roaring,”Climate change is here!”
Wide swath bomb cyclone!

Bombogenesis
That’s the term the experts used
Falling thundersnow

Winter Storm Riley
Hit our Township hard last week
Power poles crashed down

Internet was lost
Houses chilly, no TV
Phone lines cut off too

Wind gusts blasted trees
Over forty m-p-h
Ripping branches off

Nice old trees came down
Maples, hemlocks, sturdy oaks
Crushing pretty shrubs

Hanging feeders thrashed
Dashing bird seed to the ground
Lost in drifts of snow

Several roads were blocked
Traffic ground to a mere crawl
Cars slid off some curves

Slowly we dug out
Paths were cleared and schools opened
Sun helped melt the snow

Temp’rature went up
Fifty-five degrees one day
Almost t-shirt time!

Oops, we dreamed too soon
Double whammy, here came Quinn
Five days past Riley

One to three per hour
That’s how fast the snow piled up
Inch by inch it grew

Now it covers all
Destructive, yet beautiful
Fairyland for kids

Shovel snow all day
Snow blowers and snow plows too
Working overtime

Check the house and yard
Quinn attacked all stressed-out trees
Bent so low with snow

More hemlocks came down
Massive uproots, ugly holes
Great big muddy mess

March lasts three more weeks
Keep those skis and snowmobiles
Handy, just in case

Just like Alaska
Blizzards, weather sub-zero
Blanketed by white

Millions feel so cold
Neighbor states are in distress
March keeps roaring on

Snow now two feet deep
Wildlife searching hours for food
Desperate squirrels, deer
Feed the birds each day
Flocks of dark-eyed juncos, doves
Blue jays, cardinals

Put on goosedown clothes
Fill the fireplace with dry wood
Huddle near the flames

Smart dogs stay inside
Time to snuggle in their beds
“Walkies? Don’t think so

Rest your aching back
Drink hot chocolate, chat with friends
Dream of gentle Spring...

Oops! Another storm
Formed out West and travelled East
Third nor’easter’s here

This one is Skylar
Blankets white are deeper still
Gusty winds came back

Once again much snow
Covers Township in mid-March
Closing schools today

Clear the driveways, paths
Feed the birds that wait outside
Shivering in the wind

May no trees come down
Keep the roof icicles small
Power, please stay on

Humans will adapt
Mother Nature always wins
Storms will come again
Mary Loudin
Morning Mist Farm
March 13, 2018