sol.ace_r

The first snow begins to fall.
I can’t say for certain, but it doesn’t seem like rain.

The air shifts slightly.
Not so much colder—more like the edge of each breath turns a little clearer.

People don’t react much yet.
They wait for the signal at the same pace, keep talking on their phones.
Still, a few lift their heads.

Without saying it’s snowing,
you somehow know.

The first snow doesn’t seem intent on settling.
It lands on clothes, then disappears.
Present and absent at the same time.

That’s why you keep watching it.
Even knowing it won’t last, your eyes linger.

Everything else remains the same.
Cars pass, people head home.
It isn’t snowing enough to make the day feel special.

A single white speck comes to rest on my shoulder.
I hesitate, unsure whether to brush it away.
It vanishes after a moment.

Watching that, I think—

Ah.
So this is the first snow.