May Moonlight
How many times have
you heard
You can’t go back
again?
It’s true you know,
you can’t
You can go back to
the way things are now
Never to the way
things were then.
Long summer nights spent under the stars
Riding in the
moonlight up Spy Glass Hill
The May darkness rich
with the perfume of apple blossoms
The orchard ghostly
white in the gloaming
The world is dark around me where I stand alone
Once more at the apex
of that steep hill
Silence gathers, deep
and still
Muffling the subtle
chatter of the river
I see them coming through the cedars
Rising through the
pearly clouds of flowering trees
Young and confident
riding sure footed horses
Too young to know how
the sweetness of this moment
Celebrate
The
banners of Spring are flying on the blue of morning
Yellow
catkins dance in the sunlit air over the ice-skim puddle
Purple
crocus carpet the brown and grey prairie
Bright
butter yellow jonquils nestle close to the house foundation
Sheltered
from the ever present Alberta winds
Spring
comes riding the coat tails of the mighty Chinook
The
earth breathes in misty tendrils above the rough ploughed field
Winter’s
back is broken, melt water runs like blood
Warm
sun shyly promises the glory of June to come
Alberta
blue sky and flowering prairie flowing forever
The
long cold months are gone, come celebrate Spring
But Spring doesn't always come gently, does it?
Spring
Snow
The storm demons are howling rabidly across the sky
Dragging
their icy talons against the window glass
Screeching
their defiance through the hydro wires
Buffeting
the house with their fists of wind
Shrieking they the fall upon the exposed prairie
Vomiting
great gouts of snow to cover the earth
They
hurl handfuls of icy pellets in my face
As I
struggle to let the stock into the barn
Mean spiritedly they snatch the door from my frozen fingers
Slamming
it open and popping one of the hinges
I
bare my teeth at them and wrestle the door from their grasp
Hold
it steady as the horses troop in out of the angry storm
The bale of hay spills its summer scent in the frigid air
A
sunlit meadow song to battle the storm raging outside
The
storm demons grab me in their teeth and shake me
As I
blindly make my way back to the house
Power and fury personified; they scream their defiance
Their
voices howling through the wind in my ears
Reluctant
to exchange the winds of winter
For
the thunderheads of summer
Seasonal
Sestina
Why is it that the first flowers of Spring
Are
so special and the green of new leaves
Wakes
a wild joy in my heart
Is
it because they signal the end of Winter
Filled
with the promise of long summer days
And
the lazy hum of honey bees among the flowers
The tiny white snowdrops are among the first flowers
Along
with the purple crocus of Spring
Courageously
piercing the snow with their leaves
Small
purple clusters to gladden my heart
Throwing
a gauntlet in the face of Winter
Shining
brightly through the short Spring days
The snow retreats with the lengthening of days
The
garden paths are strewn with clots of flowers
The
sweet bouquet of flower scented Spring
Bright
daffodils dance above their pointed leaves
The
tulips glowing red as the sun’s heart
They
chase from the path the last of snowy Winter
Now only under the brambles lies the evidence of Winter
Soon
that too will retreat from the sunny days
The
lilacs burst into a froth of fragrant purple flowers
The
scent mingling with the sun warmed air of Spring
Slow
awakening summer flowers break the soil with their leaves
Heralding
the coming of Summer’s heart
Spring passes softly into summer; the pulsing green heart
That
rules the year opposite the white of Winter
The
long halcyon green and gold days
Forged
by the fire of the sun and the glory of flowers
There
is just the faintest memory now of Spring
The
full heady bounty of Summer canopied by trees of leaves
In due course fiery autumn will colour the leaves
And
the flames of October will quicken the heart
The
winds of snow will welcome the Winter
The
frosty silver and blue of early winter days
Will
make us forget the summer of flowers
Too
new and beautiful yet to make us wish for Spring
By January we will be wishing for green leaves and Spring
Our
heart will have hardened against the silver beauty of Winter
And
we will hunger after the days of Summer and flowers
Thanks for sticking with me this far, and here's hoping Spring is right around the corner.
Until next month, stay well, stay safe