up to my thighs as i navigate the porch stairs, piled in drifts higher than i am, burying cars, mocking all attempts at shoveling, salting, or pushing aside. the city is silent beneath the snow, still coming down in great puffing veils, slipping down the back of my bundled coat and in between my toes. i pass a man walking a terrified pomeranian, sinking down to just the fluff of a tail with every step, past a woman throwing cinnimon toast crunch to the birds on her driveway, and a man digging out his car with a broom. we each exchange a wry "g'morning" and smiles that say how 'bout this snow, huh?, an instant communal bond over two feet of cold and a weather report that says "blizzard."