“Spring Laughs”

Where I come from is gloomy in the winter.
The blanched landscape gives no hint
Of the underground life 
Patiently waiting for its rebirth to begin.
 
Perhaps not as patiently, we wait,
Warming ourselves with combustion
And lighting our way with artificial light
As we listen to the earth groan
With the effort of its tilting 
That brings us closer to the sun.
 
---
Spring draws her first breath.
She laughs.
And then—
---
 
Where I come from is bright in the summer.
The flourishing landscape shakes off its snowy mantle
And makes us forget that such a thing as frost 
Ever existed.
 
Blooming in the distance,
Hills rise like domed cathedrals
Decked in glory
And raised by Life, 
And Love,
And the gentler side of Time.