Frigid inhalations taper
Winter’s sugar frost fades
Damp brittle garden limbs
Jobless stalks retire
Prickly framework of coneflowers, phlox and Russian sage
Light’s shifting angles
Sun blades fold in crevices
Numb soil revived to thawed readiness
March’s generous lungs
Brings unexpected warmth
Sawdust leaves, splintered underpinning
Squat on unfurling patches of inaugural crocus
Iridescent pea-green tips of forsythia
Fall bulbs confined preserve hidden promises
Daffodils sprout day by day
Staying on course unconditionally
Recasting itself thoroughly
Unfazed the garden works
Even when none are looking
-Susan Dashiell
Susan Dashiell is a middle school teacher living in Bloomfield, NJ who enjoys gardening, collaging and writing. Her stories have appeared in Burnt Pine Magazine, The Seventh Wave and The Write Launch, among others.