If

if the rain had begun earlier,
    I would have brought my umbrella
if the freeze had come later, my tomatoes
   would not be sodden orbs, hanging limply from black leaves
   the hoeing, planting, weeding yielded so little fruit
if the snow comes early, the hillsides will sparkle under the stars,
   my umbrella will be stored away for the winter,
   the rotten tomatoes buried under a layer of white.


freeze watch tonight!  is the prompt for tonight's poem