Neither Snow Poem by Billy Collins

Neither Snow

Rating: 3.3


When all of a sudden the city air filled with snow,
the distinguishable flakes
blowing sideways,
looked like krill
fleeing the maw of an advancing whale.

At least they looked that way to me
from the taxi window,
and since I happened to be sitting
that fading Sunday afternoon
in the very center of the universe,
who was in a better position
to say what looked like what,
which thing resembled some other?

Yes, it was a run of white plankton
borne down the Avenue of the Americas
in the stream of the wind,
phosphorescent against the weighty buildings.

Which made the taxi itself,
yellow and slow-moving,
a kind of undersea creature,
I thought as I wiped the fog from the glass,

and me one of its protruding eyes,
an eye on a stem
swiveling this way and that
monitoring one side of its world,
observing tons of water
tons of people
colored signs and lights
and now a wildly blowing race of snow.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Matthew Coombe 08 July 2008

I love this! I'm a teacher and I used this with a class of 8 year olds! ! They loved it too and understood it perfectly and poetry like this is giving them a real love of it. I just think BC is fantastic. His writing started me writitng. Thanks Billy

1 1 Reply
Joseph Pedulla 26 October 2016

Yes, Collins has the mind of an eight-year-old. Simple, simple, simple, sweet sweet sweet. Like the Thomas Kinkade of poetry. Puke.

0 1
69 69 69 69 69 22 January 2019

8=============================D (o)

1 1 Reply
69 69 69 69 69 22 January 2019

8==================D (o)

1 2 Reply
gay gay gay 22 January 2019

your momma is gay ok so get it right U CANT GET LAYED

1 2 Reply
Your Superior 29 April 2019

I'm sorry sir to inform you that you have contracted the uber gay. It is deadly and usually you have aids when you have uber gay. You should get tested

0 1
* Sunprincess * 14 January 2016

..........excellent and a very picturesque scene...a taxi as a yellow submarine.....and you, the lucky person viewing this fantastic underworld scenery ★

0 2 Reply
Shirley Hanley 22 November 2009

Yet another one of Mr. Collins surreal adventures told so artfully as only he can.

2 1 Reply
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Close
Error Success