Beginnings of green

 

Green

begins to emerge

lighter

brighter

patches amid

the brown

The branches

soften

with leaf buds

and the

first flowers

unfold

embraced

in emerald

Hello blue

 

Hello blue

deep and true

inviting

contemplation

Hello friendly clouds

inviting imaginations

to search for

faces

flowers

fanciful creatures

Hello rainbow chairs

placed in the sun

inviting

afternoon

to linger

Waiting for color

 

The rain

washes away

the crusty remains

of snow

and gravel

but

the gray skies

have me longing

for color

Out of balance

 

The wind

has a hint

of winter

an echo

of the season passed

Though the air

is temperate

the sky is not

and afternoon 

feels precarious

like anything

could happen

Anticipation

 

In more than a decade

of wandering

I have discovered

where the neighborhood

snowdrops emerge

the crocuses

the multicolored tulips

that bloom by the curb

Today

I visit each

greet

their emerging leaves

the few blooms

anticipating

colors

to come

Sluggish comfort

I don't know why

you don't give up

on me

Lady Sun

leave me in the dark

Though I yearn

and promise

I still retreat

to sluggish comfort

indoors

to stare

longingly

through glass

at the blinding blue

the still bright afternoon

Yet

you don't abandon me

and I promise

I promise

tomorrow

is ours

 

Resumed

 

Like the sap

that waited

the last

few

cold

days,

our spring hopes

have surged again

Yesterday/Today

 

Yesterday's white

is today's river of light

reflecting

blue sky

and Lady Sun's

bright face

Splinter

 

Spring

and winter

have splintered

Blushing buds burst
from naked trees
buried in snow

Even the snowflakes

are between

hitting faces

with an almost

liquid

plop

Anytime part two

 

March

can be

anytime

Yesterday

it was autumn

with bare ground

and a bite in the wind

Today

winter

bleak and blinding

Tomorrow

who knows?

Anytime [part one]

Sabbath

 

What is rest?

Sloth

Stillness

Silence

Contemplation

of moments

stretching

into minutes

into hours

into an afternoon

of sloth

stillness

sabbath

silence

Acceptance

 

A year ago

I was grieving

your flower faces

and every bulb

that slept

and every little

and great

thing I'd lost

or stood to lose

No rational

reassurance

of springs to come

No admonition

to lift my

onerous privilege

--no real cross--

could sooth

the grief

that clawed for purchase

dragging denial, anger, guilt, and depression

tangled

indistinguishable

And yet

And

Yet

Here we are

another spring

with all our losses

and our luck

our burdens

and our blessings

our fears

and our future

ready

to bloom

365/796

Today

 

Today

the river

is free

Water

unrolls

over rocks

like gilded satin

and ducks land

with a splash

and flutter

where

days before

they navigated

islands of ice

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Recalibrating

 

Of course

the lake

is still frozen

and the wind

blows as cold

as the lingering ice

Nature

doesn't recalibrate

in an instant

like clicking

refresh

Instead

green blade

by green blade

and bird

by bird

spring

returns

363/794

Rainy mood

 

Does the rain
create my mood
or reflect it
Gray
and cold
and muted
362/793

Anytime

 

Today could be

anytime

between

the blinding white

of winter

and the blinding green

of summer

High above

the faded sky

could be 

any blazing day

in July

or freezing day

in December

Today could be

anytime

361/792

Portable

 

Joy

is portable

Unpack it

where the sun

is shining

Close your eyes

and listen

to bird

and wind

harmonizing

with quiet

Before you go

fold it up again

and slip it

away

for darker

and colder

days

360/791

Changes

 All day

the clouds

stream by

carried

on a warm

southerly

wind

A wind

that brings

changes

359/790

 

Divided

 

So many images

to choose from

an insistent chickadee

a raucous caucus 

of mallards

water below

the rock dam

sparkling

liquid light

in the sun

but the vista

above the dam

expresses

our divided

existence

best

between winter

and true spring

half frozen

but

slowly

thawing

358/789

Thaw's secrets

 

What will be revealed

by the thaw

What losses

What breaks

What movement

What released

What will be swept away

What will be refreshed

What will emerge

too soon

What will come

just in time

357/788

Colors

 

The snow

has receded

and the bare

brown ground

has me dreaming

of color

purple crocuses

yellow daffodils

a rainbow of tulips

and green

green

green

spread beneath

an endless

blue sky

356/787

Rivers

 

Above the river

shrugging off

its ice

the blue river

in the sky

flows free

clouds

mirroring

the break up

below

355/786

Dawn to Dusk

 

Lady Sun greets me

at the beginning

of a long day

I'm already

dreading

the hours ahead

tracking

the day's journey

from a distance

from behind

glass

Though Lady Sun's journey

grows longer,

mine does, too

When will we meet

face to face

again?

354/785

Cocoon

 

Why am I so tired
Is it
struggling
with my winter
cocoon
ice and snow
layered on
ice and snow
Soon
I will emerge
wings curled
and damp
heart pounding
longing to fly
to be free
353/784