Thoughts on a Snowy Day

[L Verge]

As I sit looking out at about five inches of new snow on my lawn, I am reminded that a favorite poem of John Wilkes Booth was The Beautiful Snow. It dates from the 1850s, I believe, and Booth is known to have recited it at times during theatrical and literary readings that he would give while traveling.

Some sources say that the original poem was found on the body of a deceased "soiled dove," but it was authored by a John Whitaker Watson, who compared the beautiful, falling snow to the life of many -- beautiful at first and then turned to dirt when mixed with the filth of mankind.

Isn't it ironic that Booth favored this poem that almost predicted what would happen to him ten years later? If you are not familiar with the entire piece, you can find it here: https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.co...l_snow.htm

In many ways, that poem reminds me of one of my favorites - The Bells, by Edgar Allen Poe. There is the same type of easy rhythm as well as the verse-by-verse descent from light and airy thoughts into harsh and despairing tones. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/bells