Awaiting the Spring
Winter takes a heavy toll
upon nature’s green
turning so much to gray
as dried grasses
and dormant trees
await the warmth
of spring’s sweet breeze
only the evergreens
stand tall and bright
but they are also
in on the fight
with sparse branches
ready to sprout
as soon as the seasons
turn about
Unconditional Love
Here I sit at a table
of worn wood
with cards in my hands
and a whisper at my ear
as the cards
and sensations
mesh into more
to tell of secrets
as I delve into mysteries
with the knowledge
that I am loved
a certainty never known
before him
Prompt: “Draw (at least) three random cards. Use these cards to tell the story (real or fictional) of one of spring’s first flowers and its experiences.”
Buried deep within frozen soil
darkness pressing in
on all sides
I wait
until the thaw begins
to relax the earth
and my cage becomes a womb
and as I am nurtured
in that mothering embrace
I break free of my shell
and begin to stretch
and stretch
a calling from within pulling me
from furled tender stem
to towering stem
where the sun bathes my petals
and I watch over those below
still waiting
to grow
Dear Sister, My Twin
You look like he
you dress like she
yet in the mirror
you smile like me
our faces
an echo of another
yours more delicate
mine more angular
and yet
still somehow
the same
even all these years
after strollers
and matching outfits
have long gone
Fading Warmth
Frozen no more
the water flows
in swirling eddies
and dancing currents
as the chill
keeps visitors away
as dusk promises
to come to play
and the end
of the day
slips by
as skeleton trees
grasp for the last
shred of warmth
The Departure
A stranger
lies on tiles
with clammy skin
and shallow
noisy breaths
and when they stop
compressions start
as sirens wail
in the background
Will anyone mourn
the loss
of you deciding
to let go?
I will.
