A Saturday poem

There's more winter to come;
I understand this.
But today, the earth looked around
And--seeing nothing more pressing on the calendar--
Decided to hold a dress rehearsal for Spring.
On the shore of the river
In the leafless trees, in the embrace of the sun
Herons returned to their rookery to nest.
A red-winged blackbird could not contain his joy
And trilled from the grasses at the edge of the pond.
Two Canada Geese led a regatta of small fuzzy chicks.
Don't tell the pious among us
That Creation chose to give us
A day off from Lent,
Lest they frown and spoil
The perfect, simple, and fleeting beauty
Of the gift.

—March 3, 2018