time, renewed

all around now

I can hear them –
the whispers of
winter receeding

water on the move

reflecting
the waking world
of trees and sky

and so, I become

late winter’s
thaw, trickling
into crevices,
absorbed by
the softening
ground. I listen
in silence to
the pulse
of the earth
and wait
for the signal
to press upward,
with fingertips
worn smooth,

the first tender shoots.

What if

leaves refused to fall
and buds refused to bloom?

What if

the tide stayed out, ignoring
the moon’s insistent call?

What if

birds no longer migrated
or winds changed course?

Would we want to stay? Could we?

for just a glimpse

longing

for warmth –
a balmy caress

the embrace
of spring

remembrances

together

we breathe

in the birthing
and
out the dying

entwined

imaginings

tension/balance