When does spring begin?
Growing up, I never would have considered February to be spring, but here I am, in a different part of the world, with fluctuating weather patterns and a much different culture than the one I grew up in, and while most people here would probably agree that February is a winter month, we just celebrated a traditional day that marks the beginning of spring, and all around us telltale signs of the new season are appearing: wedges of swans flying across the sky, tulip sprouts poking out of their flower beds, the peculiar smell of thawing soil, warm breezes, longer days, a slightly more golden and piercing quality to the sunlight, etc.
Much like the March of my childhood, February where I live now is a questionable month. Will it be kind and gentle? Will it progress onward toward spring? Or will it suddenly plunge us into the depths of winter?
Time will tell.
(1)
so purposefully
they wedge across the sky
pulling spring behind them
(2)
at intersections
I sometimes think in my car
of all the roads I’ve passed
(3)
as the light fades
it pulls depth from the world
leaving silhouettes
(4)
into the grey
the city goes first
then I follow
(5)
the sunlight changes
and winter begins to trickle
down the mountains
(6)
you are
such a curiosity
the banzai says to me
(7)
through the breakers
a large ship steadily moves
toward a place of calm
As always, thank you for reading.