Spring Willow in the Snow

Last night she was

Taken by surprise

In the mid March storm

Already beginning

To grow loose and limber 

But suddenly she found herself

Encrusted with

A thin layer of snow

Diadems of ice clustered

Like blossoms along her

Drooping branches

Sparkling like an

Ingénue’s eyes

At the last ballroom 

Dance of the season

But this morning

She is resplendent

With a green aura 

Though around her base

Still lies the blanket

Of yesterday’s snow

Now in broad daylight

She has sloughed off

Her winter coat

And her long slender

Limbs are already

Aglow with the
Blush of spring

A cloud passing overhead
Is a diminished fifth
To her splendor
Yet taken down a notch
Her hue only deepens
The anticipation and
Bracing freshness
That engulfs the senses