There is snow on Mount Tongariro
in August. 
We have tickets
for a gondola ride over the mountain. 
They’ve closed the road
and we have places to go, 
so we’ll never ride that ride. 
I put on my possum fur headband**
and wish I had a heavier coat.
My friend stands in the falling snow
like she’s singing “The Hills are Alive.”
I shiver in my fleece
and enjoy the novelty of snow
in August
on the other side of the world.

**Possums are quite a different animal in New Zealand.