Another Surprise Snowstorm

I like my snow like I like my men
                          deep
                          untouched in photographs
                          shoveled off my porch before I have to go to work

I like my snow like I like my men
                          accumulating softly
                                                   while I sleep

I like my men like I like my snow
Plowed depends on circumstance

I like my men like I like my snow
which is to say
at the beginning of the season I remember them fondly
but the very first time they require me to do any work
I hope to never see another one of those flakes again

I like my snow like I like my men
                          in theory

I like my snow like I like my men
                          pure
                                    except where they've been
                          flattened by strangers' bootprints

I like my snow like I like my men
                          light and fluffy at first but
                          heavier and more full of grit
                          the deeper you dig

I like my men like I like my snow
                         and I'm often judged harshly by those who don't
understand my appreciation of either

I like my men like I like my snow
Do I like snow because it is in my genes or
                          because I was born in a place where winter was condoned
                                                            if not appreciated

I like I my men like I like my snow
I just don't talk about it unless I'm prompted to
                          
I like my snow like I like my men
                          In the summer when it's not a realistic threat

I don't always like snow but
I could never live somewhere lacking winter
I tried it in college
And again in my mid-twenties
                   when I was chasing the mechanical rabbit of the
                                                             normative success that
                             I was told would make me important

I don't always want to like snow but
I do always like snow
                                      even when it's inconvenient
                                      even when it keeps me from getting to work
                                      even when it means the world is too cold to brave
                                                                                            without protection

When I like men the way I like snow
                              it's exhausting to think about

I like my snow like I like my men
                          remembered fondly while I sip margaritas on a beach

I like my men like I like my snow
                         Finite but frequent

I like men like I like snow
It's easier without trying to claim ownership of either

I like snow like I like men
                    in its natural state
Artistically rendered sculpture is beautiful but not for me

I like snow like I like men
                          in photographs surrounded by more snow
                          bending trees that I know survived and continue to thrive

I like men like I like snow
                                               Oh god
                   Temporary?
                   For a few months of the year?
Why would anyone want men like snow if they really loved either?

Wait

         maybe I like snow like I like men
                                         in the way that I always want the Arctic Circle to be there
                      I could even set up permanent residence there
as long as I could vacation somewhere warmer
                                               whenever the impulse struck me

You know
it's been a while since I've lived anywhere temperate
what if I only like snow because I've spent over half my life
identifying as someone who likes snow?
Would I really miss winter if I lived on a beach?
Is it closed minded of me to assume how much
                                                                I'll miss the snow if I change my environment?

I like men like I like snow
                   On a case by case basis

I like men
                   sometimes
It's the same with snow