this is lin's first spring

being a fairly recent creation of the writer's mind

she's absorbing it   the buds   the leafing-out

the bluets and daffodils

she sees last autumn's leaves 

still hidden away   here and there  

connects these to the budding leaves

and asks   why   

asks the question we have all asked

at one time or another   why all this procreation

who knows   i say

who knows why any of it or us exists

maybe it’s all about photosynthesis  

maybe that explains everything one way or another

imponderables   she says

yes   I say   exactly

why is a sonnet is fourteen lines long   i ask in true non-sequitur fashion

i give up   she says   why

~

things evolve   i say   it’s natural   nature’s way

there is no answer to why

best be careful to whom you say that   i add

going slightly off topic

you may find yourself skewered   verbally   at best

beware of men of with ideas   i say with a cautionary tone

so i've noticed   she says

beware of women who stand behind their men   i say

i will be ever-vigilant   she says   then adds   don't lecture   

i apologize   sorry   

~

it's a lovely spring day   i say

inhale   feel it   exhale   all the rest is so much clutter

you're lecturing   she says

i sigh

~

at pioneer park we find a bench   

we talk and watch

i love the way the parks and the outdoor tables

at the cafes fill up on sunny days   

it's gay   festive   i turn my face to the sun   

applying more sunscreen

being somewhat heliotropic i give thanks to our star     

for its beneficence   its warmth

we watch a man catch rays in his hands   

give it to the woman he's with

perhaps she doesn't understand it's a gift   precious

she lets it go  

~

on the way home we stop at a market

buy oranges among other things

i will set one on my desk

to be my sunshine while i work

i will never let it go

though i may internalize it

~

lin says   i like spring

i'm tempted to say something pithy

instead i say   me too