Wintered In

There was snow last night
And when dawn broke today
There was little doubt
it would be here till May
Or thereabout…
The spruces
Sag under the weight,
The cabin roof
Is blanketed,
The rain barrel
Covered with ice,
The woodpile buried
And the autumnal chores—
The woodpile stacked,
The kindling fetched,
the pump pulled from the well,
The drainage tile cleared—
All the chores
Not yet done
Will have to wait awhile.