dark spring

spring is the time life bursts forth, as bright green shoots dig their way out of thawing soil, and the sun peeks out from the blanket of clouds. blue skies make for cheery mornings and the new warmth in the air entices flower buds to peep shyly out of green calyces. birds return from their long sojourns south with a burst of song and nosy chatter while hungry squirrels scurry up and down trees digging up goodies buried away safely before the onset of the chill.

but sometimes the winter drags on. snowflakes whip around like little ice stars, digging and biting into exposed skin. the steel-grey clouds roil around like a tempest in the sky and the wind rushes forth like a messenger that bodes ill. plants try as they might but find no succour in the frozen ground. little birds that made the exhausting journey back huddle in disappointed clumps on branches and telephone lines. confused squirrels, thin and weak, trudge along the ground, looking up at the sky in vain desperation.

still, there is no hope forthcoming.