March 20, according to the calendar, is the first day of Spring. We may not yet experience the reality of warmer weather, especially those of us who live in the north.
Most of us enjoyed winter for awhile, and some of us bemoaned that this winter we had a taste of thaw and then “second winter” came. By now, though, even those who love winter activities are yearning for a change in weather.
So today I offer a poem to encourage you. With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas), here is ‘Twas the Day Before Spring’ by me, who longs for warm sunny days.
‘Twas the day before Spring the calendar said,
yet the ground was still covered with snow, though I’d pled
with God for bright sun and a warm wind to blow
the remnants of winter away, so below
the white blanket my yard could begin to wake up,
to stretch forth green shoots, the flow’rs could erupt.
I put on my toque and my warm woolen mittens,
my jacket and scarf – dressed snug as a kitten,
and I ventured outside to the front garden plot
to see if my prayers had been answered, or not.
The birds saw me coming and scolded me proper
for stepping outside with no seeds to offer.
For they too were hungry for fresh fruit of summer;
they were feeling the call of love for another.
Scolds changed to song as their attention was moved
from me to a rustling – a deer, pawing hooves,
was digging through snow at the edge of the garden,
not seeming to mind I was not too far from him.
He pawed and then nosed in the ground by his feet.
When he lifted his head he’d started to eat!
He’d found my first crocus just beginning to sprout
And blithely was chewing away, without doubt
enjoying the taste of the first sign of Spring
before it could even be seen. What a thing
to behold in my yard on that cold winter day!
But surely it meant Spring was soon on the way.
So I stepped back inside to the warmth of my kitchen
humming a tune and planning for when
the snow would be gone, ground would be thawed,
and I could be digging outside in my yard.
*photos courtesy of Pixabay.com
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marniewriter.com
Marnie has recently retired to Saskatchewan, Canada to write and be with her grands. She shares from her heart, drawing from both painful and joyful life experiences, where she believes God's presence makes all the difference.
I’m late reading this–today is the 29th of March–and I see we are making progress in the signs of spring. The geese are flying overhead and you can hear the waters of melting snow running into the drains on the street. Our son is having an allergic reaction to the snow mold. These aren’t glamorous signs of spring, but they are common to Canadians.
I enjoyed your take-off on Clement Clarke Moore’s poem. Your setting was ever-so-much more lovely and the details flowed more kindly than my melting snow running into street drains. Thanks, Marnie, for another sparkle of phosphorescence.
Yes,Sharon,sometimes our Spring looks more like “mud season” but either way we know warmer temperatures are coming. Enjoy the flow of the water.
Very clever!