Liminal

“Otherwise it’s spring, and everything looks frail”

Tony Hoagland, “A Color of the Sky”

Buds on the tulip tree
resist the hard facts
of lingering snow,
ice coating the ground.

They are furry and faintly green
small plant animals
curled and sleeping
like a soul, waiting

after death, after a long walk
through a tunnel, after
greeting family, friends, the Great One
to come into this life anew.

4 Comments

  • Maureen Ryan Griffin

    A gorgeous poem, Dede, set off so well by Tony Hoagland’s words. (I am a fan of his work!) The thought of coming into life anew through a long tunnel after awakening from a curled, furry sleep 🙂 feels so good!

    • ourblue3

      Hi, Maureen. Thank you for your lovely comments. I’m a fan of Hoagland’s work too. The fraility of spring seemed to speak to the time between winter’s cold and spring’s coming into fullness. And now we seem to be across the threshold fully into life anew. Yay! Yes, feels so good! Love, Dede

  • Leslie Rupracht

    This is lovely, Dede—such rich imagery in a concise poem. The persistence and yearning for release in “resist the hard facts of lingering snow, / ice” is palpable in these frosty-again days of mid-spring.

    • ourblue3

      Thank you, Leslie, for your kind words and for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you liked the poem. May the frosty days finally be behind us for this season. What odd moods Spring can have, that fickle maiden. 🙂 Hugs, Dede