Last day of February – a poem

Last day of February
the first crocuses penetrate the crust of winter soil
bright light gathered and blooming
white petals greet blue sky
asserting rebirth
     unseen incarnations of earthworms, microbes
     and the lacy growth of mould
     make fertile the ground for seed
a robin     a chickadee
flocks of indigenous year-rounders
     swoop and soar
     compete for soggy rowan berries
     challenge gusty winds head-on
this is the day of the poem:
     newly budded maple swells,
          red branches frame the horizon
     and the smell of spring
          – promising, returning, awakening –
permeates my blood like a lover

© Doreen Shababy