Snowflakes, Or The Messiah

Photo by Egor Kamelev

A Poem by Rachel Lynne Sakashita

Hope is a snowflake in motion  

on blue and churning river water not yet  

frozen; white lace so light, so sweet 

tempered, a promise of beauty  

even when the spines of flowers snap  

and night breaks early. But standing here,  

you are chilled deep into the rafters  

of your lungs, waiting for light, because truly,  

hope isn’t convenient. Taking inventory 

of beauty in the negative degrees rarely is.  

No, hope is taking you by surprise and then ebbing 

and then flowing, always reeling back  

to show up in winter among the dying, 

holding its breath as it waits for you.

Rachel Lynne Sakashita is a full-time language student, part-time writer who lives with her husband in Pennsylvania. Her work can be found in blogs and journals such as The Clayjar Review, The Truly Co., Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, and her Substack, Ewe and Shepherd. Find her on Instagram at @abrightaubade.