i took a walk today
a brisk huff ‘n’ puff up the hill
and round the block
to wake drowsing limbs from the torpor
of sitting over-long at a desk
and exorcise the mania of a mind
too long confined between four walls
as i walked along a mist hissed half-heartedly in my face
the haze of gray coming close to earth in lowering clouds
the tiny speedwell flowers along the sidewalk were shut
blue faces hidden from a sky unwilling to echo back their blue
i looked ahead to where the star magnolia stood
at the top of the street
its half-bloomed buds now browning
with the kiss of springtime’s cold
but at least the henbit still is blooming
i thought, noticing the purple patches
against still-greening lawns
and the delicate foliage framing the edge
of the pavement
at least the henbit still is blooming
and the wild lemon of the forsythia wilderness
at the end of the block shines bright
against the afternoon’s gathering gloom
and the daffodils still nod yellow heads
and the maples are shrouded in a cherry mist
and all the world is waking itself to wonder once more
for behind the curtains of cloud
the sun does not cease to shine
so one day, the speedwell blossoms
will open once again
in adoring answer to the sky’s brilliant blue
