Spring Arrives - March 15 2022

 

Spring Arrives

March 15 2022

Spring arrives

on an unremarkable day

in the grey tedium of March.

Not with a swelling symphonic overture

massed choir

or sweet soprano duet

performing Lakme's Flower Song,

but a cacophony of water

pouring off the eaves

and pummelling the roof below.

With the downspouts still frozen

gutters overflowing

and ice-jams holding fast,

a cold hard Niagara

of melt.

It's as if the sun's inexhaustible power

had been depicted through sound.

A winter's worth

of deep trackless snow

and built-up ice

vanishing before our eyes.

As if the sun's vast solar furnace

with just a simple shrug

could do the work of a million grunting shovellers

a thousand front-end loaders

and dump trucks bumper-to-bumper

dieseling down the road.

But like all white noise

it becomes unnoticeable,

a randomly beating drum

in the background somewhere.

Because we get used to things;

acclimating to cold,

taking for granted

a brilliant spring,

getting bored

stuck in summer doldrums.

Or crunching through autumn leaves

and thinking of chores,

while ignoring the beauty

of the luminous trees.

And tomorrow, a flash refreeze

as a low pressure system

barrels in from the west.

Winter's last valiant gasp

as if seeking revenge,

a nasty mix

of wet snow

and freezing rain

and cutting wind.

But this, too, won't last.

Because soon enough

the sun will return

the thaw resume

and spring break through

for good.