I have had ideas for this poem floating around in my head for a couple of weeks now, and last night I finally got something down on paper. What really motivated me was wanting to show my creative writing students that I am willing to write along with them and to risk sharing my work. They gave me some good feedback today and some valuable suggestions for revision. I also wanted to model the kind of reflecting that I want them to do in their Writer’s Blogs, so I wrote an example and I think the act of reflecting on my writing actually motivated me to write. I was pleasantly surprised by that outcome, and now I’m hopeful that the Writer’s Blogs might do the same thing for my students.
My Respite from Rain
The heralds of spring arrive
in a balmy February:
Leafless tree limbs burst into
puffy pink clouds and
the cheerful crocus emerges
dabbing bright spots of yellow and purple
on a muddy canvas.
Daffodils hang their heavy heads
still sleepy from the weight of winter, and
the blood of the rose starts coursing
through its thorny veins,
leaking into new red leaves.
Blue sky and sunshine bring back
California memories
that warm me from the inside.
Distant days of seasonless innocence
and the rarity of rain
dance at the corners of my consciousness;
Calm settles in.
The next day
the streets are slick again and
the sun is tucked under a blanket of clouds.
It is gray and cold and dull.
I sigh and slip back into my cocoon
where I mentally mark time
with each magical rebirth
and curl myself around
the budding promise of spring.
