In Spring’s Early Warming

In spring’s early warming, the crocuses’ green shoots

 

shoot upward in the space cleared now by the snow’s melting

 

along the edge of the house, sun warmed, appearing magically,

 

a spark of green drawing my downcast gaze one morning,

 

the old and cold days of too-long winter winding down,

 

growing upward, sunward, to reveal themselves bright

 

among the snow lying dirty where I’d shoveled all winter,

 

banking the house to stay warm, to trap the heat, and now

 

sprouting, spring’s first growth announces itself

 

in regal trappings, purple, violet, and gold, new growth waking us

 

all after the cold and dark of winter dormancy.