Spring

And on this first night of spring

After the equinox, yes,

But when that scent first fills the air

And we’re on the verge of verdant

An inauguration of sweet ecstasy

There it is, yes,

The moss, yes,

The crocus pushing through

March into April.

You’re such a tease, a caress.

But we’ll take it.

We’ll take all of it.

We breathe deeply for the first time in months

And it doesn’t hurt.

And when I call your name, spring,

It echoes in the air, illuminates the night

And on the dawn, well,

A new year is born.

 

The farmer pushes the seed in the ground, pushes,

But don’t get ahead of yourself, farmer,

Sowing and plotting.

Take spring for the soft rain

For the clotted mud

For the clouded mind

For the cup of wine.

We take with the caveat that we give.

And in the spring

On this first night of spring

Close your eyes, clench your fists, your breath, then

Release, face and palms raised up to the Heavens, exhale,

And let the clean rain, yes,

Let the unadulterated rain

The breaking-no-commandment rain

“And it was good,” rain,

Anoint you, favored son.