During an extra snowy first month of the year, a poet recalls the upside of being housebound during the winter
by Donna Beal | illustration by Bob Rankin

Donna Beal is a writer living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. “The first snow of theseason inspired this poem as I remember how my childhood family came together during one long-lasting winter storm. Snow storms and weather forecasts are grand opportunities for exaggeration. So is poetry.”

Bob Rankin is a longtime painter, former educator and advocate in Raleigh’s creative community. Beyond dozens of gallery exhibitions in Raleigh, his work has also been exhibited at the world’s Fair in Knoxville in 1982 and as far as Morocco. 

This article originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of WALTER magazine.