Poem for Poetry Thursday

I love the smell of Poetry Thursday in the morning.

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm still getting caught up from the holidays so I'm posting an old poem today. Hope to write something new tomorrow. No Gumball Poetry this week, just a request to the gumball gods that the gumball machines make it to the East Coast in the near future.


Miseries of Spring

Before you knew it
Spring was gone,
stolen, mooched,
fleeced, frisked, filched,
seized, snatched, poached,
pilfered, hijacked, shanghaied,
plucked like tulips after a hard night’s frost.
Those first few days when the temperature soars
above 80 degrees, then chilly air sweeps in,
she fools us every year.
The tree buds bloom and shed
in a matter of hours, leaving a thick coating
of pollen on your windshield. Inside,
ants take over the kitchen like tourists on vacation.
If it’s not Spring, then what is it
stuck deep in your hair like a pine needle?
A rainy day and open toed shoes
remind you that it’s not quite June.
Yet, you smile as cool water caresses your toes,
traipsing through still puddles on the walkway.
She’s a long-lost friend who comes when she comes,
you don’t care why or from where, you just wonder
what took her so long.

Comments

Anonymous said…
And just when I thought there was hope for another spring too....
Regina said…
It seems we have no spring here in Florida, so reading about it is fun! I loved all the adjectives you used in your first six or so lines...filched is a word I haven't heard in a long time!
Thanks!
jillypoet said…
As usual, great poem, friend! So many great lines, great words, great images! I love your long list of stolen words! And even though thisis an old poem, it is kind of ironic and fitting to post a Spring poem here in the northeast during the winter that never was!
January said…
Jilly, I think we're in the calm before the storm, so to speak. Hard to believe we've had such warm weather when Denver has been sacked with snow.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.
Spring rides no horses down the hill,
But comes on foot, a goosegirl still.
And all the loveliest things there be
Come simply, so it seems to me.
If ever I said, in grief or pride,
I tired of honest things, I lied;
And should be cursed forevermore
With Love in laces, like a whore,
And neighbors cold, and friends unsteady,
And Spring on horseback, like a lady!

--Edna St Vincent Millay
January said…
Pepek, thanks for the poem. Beautiful!
Unknown said…
J, this is an amazing poem! As always, you never cease to surprise me with your craft! I am especialyl fond of the series of words, which, when said aloud are music. And I love "who comes when she comes" it's so perfect after reading about the open-toed shoes...I just love the image of "that kind of girl"

THANK YOU!
angie said…
January, that's lovely; I especially like the last two lines and their contrast to your title. I could feel the puddles on my toes! Thanks for making me feel some springtime in this Chicago winter.
wendy said…
I love the line she comes when she comes...and the pine needles in the hair and the toes in the puddles.

Guess what...more snow for denver tomorrow...

Spring, she is far away today!
Catherine said…
I love this, especially the line "if it's not spring, what is it/stuck in your hair like a pine needle"
I think summer has finally arrived in New Zealand, but I'm not sure how long it's going to last - our season poems would be very different because weather here is so changeable
claireylove said…
I don't remember reading this one before - I love the lines:

If it’s not Spring, then what is it
stuck deep in your hair like a pine needle?

(excuse the line breaks)

Great work, and Happy Poetry Thursday right back at ya! (Okay, so it's Friday now, but what does that matter between poetry munching friends? ;-))
Anonymous said…
I love it. I wish it were spring, or even something close to it. Your poem makes me feel the water on my toes, and my feet long to get out of their winter boots.
Anonymous said…
"ants take over the kitchen like tourists on vacation" Life in miniature. I love the imagery of this poem. Also, your vocabulary is rich. It's not everyday a poet can work "shanghaied" and "traipsing" into the same piece. Impressive.
Anonymous said…
January, this is really lovely, and deserves to be heard by zillions. so many vivid images. The words flow beautifully. The analogy between spring and friendship is spot on, and fresh.
Anonymous said…
beautiful images of friendship...

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