Snow settled onto the walkways Piling on rooftops Fluttering down onto frosted garden beds The air so cold Breaths caught in its icy molasses Slogging footsteps Sluggish moves Frozen fingers weary in movement Barely keeping grip on the blanket that warmed them Eyes barely open against the flaming warmth The air inside was thick with quiet and heat Muffling the world While the white outside coated the windows with silence Warm hands pet freezing hair Heated food meets frosty mouth And in that weary, dreary moment Time had never passed so slowly