The snow covering and ice sprinkling
gave the illusion of a new world
fresh, undisturbed, untouched and unpolluted.
This was only an illusion, of course.
The pavement and dirt and grime
still lay there beneath the snow
the plastic and cans and detritus still lined the creek bed,
even though it was covered and made beautiful by the ice.
An illusion, but a pleasant one, just the same.
Taken the right way, it gives us license to imagine a better world
a more clean, pure, delightful and beautiful world.
At its very best, it might even inspire us to take up (or continue)
the struggle for a better day and a better world
one improved by our choices and actions
rather than being made worse.
