Snow Watch-
"Snow Watch" is a book of Robert's poems that was put together by his wife Marilyn for the ten year anniversary of his death. The book is a collection of only poems already published in newspapers, articles, etc. because Robert wished for his unpublished poetry to stay private even on his death bed. However, that does not mean that the poems are any less meaningful and special. The title of the book is "Snow Watch" because Marilyn's favorite poem of Roberts was called Snow Watch, and it is also the first poem in the book.
Self Publication
Marilyn published "Snow Watch" with help from a friend who is a self publisher, and she created the book and gathered information to go into the book completely by herself. She spent months perfecting every little detail, and the dedication it took is truly heartwarming.
Dedication to Grandchildren
The book is dedicated to Marilyn's grandchildren; Tessa Hartley, Jed Hartley, Lindsay Friedman, and Elyse Friedman. They were each given copies of the book, freshly out of print, for Christmas.
SNOW WATCH POEM
Snow, the morning forecasts warn the first major storm
sweeping in off the Great Plains up through the Cumberlands
veering North before the Atlantic breaks it into atoms
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snow, the myriad atoms massing oceanic as an ice age
spreading over the Continental Divide the terminal moraines
turning Ohio's Serpent Mound the Hopewell Mound ash white
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snow, turning along the trails of the vast migration west
taking risks from its destinations past the Colorado Rockies
heading back to the old points of origin in the east
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snow, and settling over the origins all but gone
the liberty brick-and-belfry cradles Philadelphia Boston
braced for impact soon where the visionary enterprise began
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snow, in its own blank beginning nothing subtle lovely
windless the leaden skies the first moist flakes like mist
infinitesimal sifting gray to white and coming on forever
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snow, and the coming whiteness takes me back slowly home
to the drifts of childhood the fires and the forgiveness
blanketing over memory over pain oblivion all-enclosing
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snow, and the easy lift of winds now closing in as surely
sheltering in as sealed as the first blood beat of existence
fresh as the first breath and filled with that pure fury
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snow, the hurling storm in its fury mounting fast maturing
lashing love to hate and back compassion born of rage
that murderous innocence the only rage worth bearing
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snow, bearing down with the nightfall in its onslaught
night and the whiteness quick and dead together parents spirits
dear familiar ghosts aswirl in the eyes of our two daughters
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snow, in the calm clear eye of your careen and rearing
bless them now grant our girls momentum not contentment
yes your irresistible motions savage proud and free
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snow, moving out on the sealanes now before you die away
before the final blankness falls let us catch hold of a trace
of wind in drift a passing sign as live as your last flake
​