Tracey in Maine

shade shelters the cold
allowing winter to persist
between pickets and pines

seduce me
with your song of spring
of love and life and hope you sing

inside
a tall drink of color
ends winter’s dry monochrome

the light still lingers
from some other
morning’s moon

The other cool thing about indoor gardening these past few months has been discovery.  When heart shaped leaves began springing up in my pots in the soil I had taken from the landlord’s garden, I thought that they were clover.

Some of the patches of what I thought was clover were so thick that I decided to scoop them up and plant them in their own tiny pots, a bit of green to help us stay sane this long winter. The leaves tasted a bit like lemon.

By mid-March the greenery had begun to flower, small bright yellow blooms that quickly spread their petals and then just as quickly faded away.  No blooms like I’d ever seen in the clover I remembered from my childhood in Virginia.  Still, I described the plant as clover.  But when the seed pods formed, I realized I should probably do my homework.

No clover…

Before journeying to the Brooks Estate, I stood in the living room holding my camera, staring out through that rippled glass of which I’ve written so often.  And as I swayed just a bit to change the angle of my view … well, the reflection of the white curtains in the glass and the twisting shapes of the trees, still mostly bare of any leaves, through the glass … they reminded me of many things, from running water to ballet dancers moving across a stage.  I could even see singers with hands raised high and voices ringing out in praise.

A bush by the side of the road during the morning commute.

I wasn’t sure it would survive the winter.  Some of the leaves are not in great shape, but peeking out this morning were these buds.

… something about this morning’s light in the pale petals and against the dark leaves reminded me of both dawn and sunset come together.

… when you walk through Ricky’s Flower Market.  Spring has arrived (even if another flake or two might fall before month’s end).  I love my indoor gardening but I do appreciate wandering through this outdoor market. A simple way of finding calm. 😉

… but I usually like to send them off with just a simple word or two like “Hi, how are you?” and conclude with a smiley face.  Okay, sometimes I say a bit more, like “remember to look at the sunset outside your window.” These are a few of the postcards available in my online shop.  You can view the full selection via this link:  ImagesbyCynthia Postcards

http://www.zazzle.com/imagesbycynthia

Before I raised the window with the rippled pane of glass …

… and then after, what I saw blossoming next to a different parking lot.

I tried to explain to my brother, who needs an alarm clock in the spring when you have these little fellows singing in the trees outside your window.