March 2018 https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/atmosphere/air-masses/beast-from-the-east
It’s from the East
A Siberian Beast
It’s coming to get us, they said
Stay put, schools closed
Stay off the roads
No travel-red alert. Red!
Duvet day!
A free day of play!
Eyes upwardly searching for snow.
The pavements were clear,
The planes overhead we could hear,
But workers simply needed to go
The pavements had a smattering
But that was not mattering
As onesies and crocs were adorned
And friends came played out
Little flakes danced about
‘Stay in!’ the media warned
Because the message was ‘snow’
And ‘definitely don’t go!’
But the sky was still empty you know.
Don’t go out on the roads!
But how silly, don’t they know
Just a case of The Emperor’s Clothes?
But as the clock struck two
The last strip of blue
Rapidly disappeared to the west
Eyes drawn to the sky
And in the blink of an eye
The Beast coughed up from its chest
The sprinkles no more
As down dumped on the floor
The first real offering of the day
He lurched again
And by the count of ten
The world was blowy, churny, white-grey
And down, up and across
The monster gave force
To the clouds and swirls it threw
The respites were short
Suddenly, we thought
This reality could maybe be true
So we called and texted
And checked flights expected
As we thought of the travelling plans
And we suddenly faced
Who was where, in what place?
But still not red, understand?
He coughed and spluttered
And all objects were covered
With thick, dry, beautiful layers
All day and all night
Landscapes of magical delight
And days of long travel nightmares
Unprepared:
We stared and stared
Wrapped up-a unique pause in time
Communities grew as the beast silently blew
And we sledged, shared bread, drank the wine
The workers were finally home
Through the power of their phones
Connecting and texting and sharing
Carers walked and walked
Neighbours smiled and talked
5 days of snowballs and sledging!
It was maybe how we imagine
Christmas is without planning
Like a snapshot of time on a card
When people spoke in the street
Didn’t text, they would meet
Back when times were magically hard
And this red-tinged beast
Became instead a feast
Of hope and of human spirit
Of sharing and talking and baking and walking
About people, pausing, being in it
Contemporary Poetry: A Snapshot in Time 