Winter's Over

Winter's over

light will lengthen

our shortest day has come and gone

so now concerned for our garden's general good

we're preparing trees pruning to grow fruit not wood

when songbirds sing

it’s not false Spring

for summer they are preparing

embroidering existence with their songs

defining for other birds what belongs

to skin a bear

first dare to catch 

it, let it chase you through the door

where you lead it towards the crew you have on hand

a team of skinners waiting with their knives in hand

life seen through glass

clear window panes

made by those skilled in fire and forge

so that beauty can be seen in true proportion

making mirrors that reflect without distortion

clothes pushed aside

slide on the rack

hangers taken back to the wash

dress shirts worn and washed for business casual wear

sweaters worn for yard work elbows in disrepair

meaning made clear

chimes in the brain

magnified by extra time spent

savoring each moment in sunlight's bright spotlight

pausing on pathways to watch a small bird alight

approaching Spring

through winter brush

dead branches snapping pushed aside

stopping to see sunlight dapple surrounding shade

splashing its glow on rhododendrons in a glade

Dick Russell (C) Richard M Russell

                         2024