Snow
Interpreting from a language to another, unlike translation, is based on a concept and meaning more importantly than word by word.
Gloss: white little feathers
You probably notice a word order of little white feathers throughout the poem by Mary while the narrator signs a different order white little feathers. The former may make more sense in English but the latter makes more sense in ASL, at least they feel natural. Every language has their own grammatical structure. It may be influenced by phonological structure (see phonology for information in "grammar" section).
The signed base word for "feather" is modified here in the poem. It may be a different sign for a feather in native American's head and so on. In this context in the poem, the feathers represent a bird's feathers.
Gloss: feathers falling-down
The handshape of the feathers now is used as a classifier for the rest of this poem. Classifier acts as a "pronoun" for the feathers. Not only it functions as a "pronoun", it is also incorporated with other verbs or actions of the feathers.
Gloss: feathers, why you-there?
Body-shifting, eye-gazing, and referential space show clearly that they refer to the snow-feathers and the first-person.
Gloss: we come/came from far-high
The signed verb come is inflected to fit in spatial agreement between the subject and the object. It indicates that feathers come here from far high above.
Gloss: high cloud-birds around
Gloss: wings shaking feathers-falling-down
The classifier of the handshapes represents the wings. The signer describes the movement of the wings. As she holds the left-handed classifier (wing), she signs with the other classifier which represents a feather. She inflects the verb of the feather to describe its movement (e.g. how the feathers move from the wings). The plural movements indicate many feathers falling down.
Gloss: zoom around
The movement, repetition, and classifier suggest that the birds are fast flying around.
