mouth open, gaping, like a tourist in new york

the mountians of which i have spoken so highly have been on a gradual retreat over the past month and a half. it started slowly, where the crevaces were no longer distinguishable and the colors began to fade. then the smog began to eat entire peaks. recently, the outline has completely disappeared into the clouds of lung cancer producing particles. however, last night it rained, bringing said particles plummeting towards the earth, and ever since i have been unable to tear my eyes away from the east. the mountians have re-appeared in all their infinate glory. moreover, in the time since i last saw them, the tops have been dipped in a vanilla coating of snow. nothing takes my breath away like rediscovering the beauty of something i havent seen in a long time. its absence faded the memory, made me forget, but the remembering is almost painful. how could i forget?