From Winter to Spring
Here are a pair of hopeful poems for a cold day in February! The first, a haiku, was written a couple of days ago. It comes from seeing the first glint of pale blue in the center of a tiny cluster of squill leaves. This winter has been warmer than last, and these earliest of spring bulbs are eager to see the world.
Unfortunately, the weather for the next seven days or so looks set to slow the arrival of flowers or spring or anything else! But that first hint of flowers is always thrilling.
~~~~~
The First Squill Flower
Glint, as bright new eyes
Glance upward at rain-grey clouds~
Wait winter’s passing.
While we are on the subject, here is a poem from March of last year, describing a later point in the season. By the time I've described in this poem, the race was on among the early-bloomers, and I was busy wondering which would open the first flower!
Almost Time in the Garden
“Don't wake me yet!" The buds of hellebore
Sleep closely curled beneath their canopy
Of leaves, still hiding faces like a child's;
Great gentle eyes kept closed against the gray,
They wait to waken in two weeks or three
And sing the earth from white to softest green.
“May I go out?” Narcissus leaves peer up;
They push the crumbling blanket of the soil,
Push it away to peek outside and see
If spring has come, when--like a party day--
They’ll dress in brightest flounces, yellow, white.
They see the snow and sigh, and stay inside.
“Good morning now.” The squill sits up in bed
And drinks the sunlight in its cup of leaves;
Its sleepy eyes look up and laugh, for spring
Is on its way and cheerful squill intends
To play as soon as spring arrives. Well wrapped--
Green jacket round its face--it sits and waits.
For those wondering, the squill won by a good bit! I expect it will do the same this year as well.