Springtime.
Season of Growth.
Season of Emergence.
New life pushing through iced snow fields, hard clumped soil, wooden-fibered branch. It can be a seemingly destructive enterprise; a formidable journey. What initially appears to be insurmountable chaos can transform into blossom and fruit, fragrance and color.
Perhaps it is counter-intuitive that the flowering begins with sacrifice: the shedding of leaves, the slow breathless dormancy, the decomposition of outer shells. Status quo sloughed away for the ultimate journey of purpose.
Tomb to resurrection—snow field to green meadow—winter to spring.
We all share the tapestry of Creation’s wonders. Look around! Beauty to behold abounds here on Earth before our very eyes.
I love this sculpture at the public library in Evergreen, Colorado which speaks to me of Earth Day in the support of environmental protection.
And in the quest to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in April’s National Poetry Month, I look to Plato:
Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.
—Plato
And in the celebration of the Jewish festival of Passover honoring the Israelites’ liberation from Egyptian slavery, I look to poet Muriel Rukeyser.
the red splatter, abstraction, on the door
speaks to the angel and the constellations
(Muriel Rukeyser, “Akiba, The Way Out”)
But it is in the celebration of Easter, the redemption and victory over evil by Christ in His death and resurrection, that I find my most inspiring sense of hope and renewal. Poet Mark Irwin speaks of the mystery.
And I loved this man strapped to the scaffold,
loved him as though he were my father.
(Mark Irwin, “The Creation of Man: The Sistine Chapel”)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Whatever your own personal beliefs may be . . .
Wishing you joy and a suppleness of heart, mind, and soul in this season of renewal.
