Talkeetna

The sign says, “Welcome to the beautiful downtown Talkeetna” but I see nothing of the sort.  A shiver chills through my bones with a gust of the harshest weather, winter in Alaska.  As I stand on our porch I watch the snow fall and I feel my toes crunch within the heavy wool socks.  It is nice to be relieved of the musty cabin air; the stench of crowds will remain until July.  The only good thing is the hot chocolate.  I slurp it quickly and the warmth runs down through my neck into my stomach.  Each sip burns my tongue and leaves a prickle, but the cold is too much to care about such small things.
People believe living in this snowy wilderness, in a small relatively unknown town, will be relaxing.  Please, forget those ideals; winter in Alaska is the farthest thing from ideal.  It runs ten out of the twelve months and half of the days we are left in darkness.  Silence fills the air.  Breaths are taken sparingly to save energy.  School is often times non-existent because there is no way to maneuver around the piles of ice and snow.  But right now, I stand watching the poor wooden sign survive its loneliness.  Four wooden planks cling to a longer vertical plank by only the few rusty nails that remain, they are not straight; they curve downwards and are chipped at the edges.  One long gashing gap runs along the word “beautiful,” weather probably creates these cracks to show how our town is not a beauty to witness.  In the spring time a bucket of flowers will be placed near it, to make up for the lost charm of the large gouge.  The sign is as desolate as the last leaf on the fall trees; the leaf slowly breaks off and lands with delicate tranquility that is broken by the rigid winter winds of a new week. 
Beyond the obvious seclusion of the sign is what a passing tourist may see.  It is the coziness, the friendliness, the unity of a small Alaskan town. 
Welcome to the beautiful downtown Talkeetna.  I read it again and again. 
Welcome to the beautiful downtown Talkeetna.  I think of the dog mushers that set up this town.
Welcome to the beautiful downtown Talkeetna.  Their thoughts must have been crazy, creating a town in the hopeless wilderness.  But here I am today. 
Welcome to the beautiful downtown Talkeetna.  With a final glance I retreat to the fire burning bright indoors, will this beautiful sign that holds our town together be there tomorrow. 
Welcome to the beautiful downtown Talkeetna.