Just Spring

when it's just / spring
green / leaves peeking budding
from the tips of tree-
fingers left
brown by frost that's left / just
now, when each tree
stands brown and bursting spring
beneath its brownness, budding / green
beneath brown revealing green
that left / with winter's budding
frost. when it's just / spring
days rising earlier over tree-
tops the sun itself a tree / that rises golden rays branching over green
and marks spring / with early beams and nights left / just
as they were budding
just spring budding / driving flowers birds trees
us crazy just / spring green
and robins in nesting-ground battles right and left
driving out doves, cowing to mockingbirds that spring
from heights like gerberas who spring / budding
in blooming-ground battles of their own peering through mulch left
from last year's planting, choking in dandelions and driving through tree
roots little green / heads peering just
above the just / and level earth, ready to spring / green
and budding / like the trees
that winter left

when it's just / spring
and me too much / inside sitting back to open
window muddy smell of rain
or crisp smell of sun
tapping me on the shoulder, sun / through the window screen just
reminding me of rain / and spring / with its wide open
days too long too short too much
to be done too much / undone and the sun / wide open
just / sunshine in spring
or even rain
because even when it's rain
there's so much
spring / reaching in, the sun
tempting me just / to open
the door, wanting me to leave these things undone and walk shirt open
in the rain / just
water and mud and then much / sun
in spring
and when I finally think I'll spring / from this chair and open
doors and stride headlong into sun / or rain
I know it's much / too much to just
stay indoors and not just / spring
myself, not when there's so much / open
outdoors, so much rain / and sun