I was awakened early

this morning
early even for me
it couldn't be Triona
for she had long gone
sadly, gently 

to where old cats go
it couldn't be my partner
for she sleeps through
earthquakes and floods
or so it seems
no it was a luminescence
shyly diffusing above
our deep red curtains
caressing my eyes
hazily, dazily,
not without hazard
I peeked below
the wooden blinds
to see 

as if by stealth
the gentle fall

of huge flakes white
on white 

covering our shorn grass deep 

dusting on the elder tree
the guardian of our peace
transfixed 

for such is rare
on Ireland’s shores
my mind envisioned

days far long gone
when I would sleigh
down downy banks
of deep crisp snow
the screams and shouts
of children gone
into my ears 

awakened in my brain
where were they now
I wondered
as slowly

as the snow itself
I slipped back 

into bed 

adreaming