Thursday, 1 February 2007

Proof of Spring in February

Let hope be the sound of blackbird song
pre-dawn when it still feels like winter

Let joy be crocuses, glowing yellow
against snow under empty trees

and if geese overhead are heralds
bringing Spring on their frosted wings

then when squirrel drinks from melt-water
in the crook of an old oak tree

it is proof that Spring will return
like a deer to the bluebell woods.

Proofs for Poetry Thursday.

Can we prove love? Find out on my Alter Ego blog here.



23 comments:

Catherine said...

I enjoyed both of these - I used the link in the sidebar for the Alter Ego blog, since the "here" didn't seem to have a link attached.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Thanks Catherine - it does now!

Anne Camille said...

I liked all three poems!

Anonymous said...

Hi Crafty,

Proof indeed that Spring shall return. I like all the heralds that you offer.

Rose

Anonymous said...

Oh Juliet! This is beautiful! This just works in every way! And this line stands out above all of the others: “and if geese overhead are heralds bringing Spring on their frosted wings.” It’s beautiful and fun to say! And I love the soft “h” sounds in the “head” and “heralds” alliteration, followed by the triple “ing” in “bringing Spring” (and then hitting it again with the end rhyme!!! Brilliant!!)

Anonymous said...

Juliet,
Lovely and lyrical
(I'm so cold right now physically, it's also fun to think of spring in February-be warmed by love so to speak...)

Crafty Green Poet said...

Cam, glad you enjoyed!
Rose - yes Spring will return!
Dennis- wow thanks - you noticed things I had barely noticed when I was writing it!
Gel - it is fun to think of Spring in February, the signs are always there but it still usually feels like winter, though today here it is pleasant and almost springlike....

Anonymous said...

You did a great job of using the proof format.

gautami tripathy said...

I liked your proof of spring returning...

gautami
Straight Curves

shadows and clouds said...

...that's great, i like this so much! agree with dennis about the line about the geese.... smiles, shadowsandclouds

twilightspider said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I can't say it enough.

Unknown said...

Crafty, I love this poem. Truly awesome work. I especially love how in the third stanza you alter the syntax of the repetition, to grab our attention even more. The images are great.

I also love that you have an alter ego - I do too: fondakowski.wordpress.com

primdollie said...

This is so lovely and so reminds me of the favorite time of year for me when the trees awaken and the bulbs stick there heads out and fun smells and only 7 or 8 more weeks till spring I believe!!! so a lot to look forward to!! thanks!! Hugs Linda

Crafty Green Poet said...

Poet with a Day Job - another blogger with an alter ego, I'll need to check that out!

Linda - yeas, not so long to spring now is it!

mybackyard, guatami, shadowsand clouds, twighlightspider, qazse - thanks!

ann said...

thank you for visiting my poetry blog...

this is beautiful and perfect for a grey dismal London morning... altho yesterday, the 1st of Feb, was like a spring day.

fuquinay said...

Pretty.

Emily said...

Great poem! Especially for this time of year...

Cassiopeia Rises said...

A lovely poem CGP. The true proof of the comimg of spring. I liked this very much.

MB said...

This is just the sort of poem I needed to read today. Lovely, thank you, Juliet.

Rethabile said...

"Spring will return
like a deer to the bluebell woods."
----------

Why is it that last lines are often so captivating? This whole poem is magnificent, Juliet, but the image painted by that last line...

Why do I feel sadness in that line?

January said...

A lovely and much needed poem for this time of year. Great take on the prompt.

Crafty Green Poet said...

rethabile - why do you feel sadness in that last line? Perhaps because it feels like a subjunctive (though that barely exists in English) and so like something that won't ever happen, because perhaps bluebells sound sad though they're not, perhaps because you sense that the woods and the deer and the bluebells are disappearing, perhaps just because I wrote the poem and my poems are usually sad.....

everyone - thanks for the wonderful comments, glad that its the kind of poem you're wanting to read at this time of year, January and MB.

angie said...

How did I miss this? It's a beautiful piece. Each image is like a breath of clean, Spring air. I absolutely love, love, love this.