In which the gradual unfolding of a snowstorm outside a frost-fretted window becomes a gentle muse to a fireside contemplation on the stern yet nurturing character of New England’s winter, with its white mantles and icy sovereigns. The poet’s eye delights in the quiet battles of children and the resilient life of snowbirds amid the desolation, finding amidst the tempest a peculiar cheerfulness and imaginative inspiration.