It is the time of year in the midwest when one isn't sure if spring is here or winter still has a hold. I wrote this a few years ago on just such a day.
False Spring
Chilled air hits my face
As I step through the door,
Belying the warmth of sunshine
Streaming through windows
Dull from winters dust.
Somewhere a bird chirps.
Whether a snow bird
Happy with the day,
Or a robin forecasting things to come,
I cannot tell.
Early budded trees
Are straining
To release small green leaves
While blades of grass
Bend beneath coats of ice.
I stand at the bus stop
Warmly swathed in down-filled coat
While a fellow traveler
In light-weight jacket
Shivers in the wind.
Beware of false signs of spring
While winter’s bonds still have firm hold.
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Comments: 22
I am so sorry winter is hanging on so long for you all. It is a muggy sunny day here in Oregon. I broke a sweat while pulling weeds (most of which sprang up in the last week or two.) in the yard today. I think it was about 11 AM. I had to close my slider door blinds because my living room was roasting from the sunshine...
I feel great that I got to spend some time in the sunshine, though. I wish I could send some of it to all of you. :(
I love this, Audrey. You certainly do capture "spring" in Iowa. I remember being caught in a snowstorm on April 7th on the back roads of Jefferson county. We got stuck and a wonderful farmer pulled us out of the ditch with his giant tractor. Oddly enough, it was and still is a fond memory.