Like the bound bud in the almost
bloomed magnolia, there is life
ready to burst, tight secrets
on the God side buried within
these cool, bright days.
I’m waiting, watching, counting
the sleeps until a quiet
wonder world awakes. Amazed,
I waltz between the longest watch
from each dormant doorway,
through the chill and darkened
mornings to a heart like an open gate.
Ear cupped, poised for my next
birth, I linger for delivery
of the morning’s message–
free and God-breathed–
a silent, green unfurling.
——-
“Tight secrets on the God-side” surely applies to the magnolia buds. Larger and larger they grow for a LONG time before a thin slice of pink along its edge indicates the growing stage will soon transition to the unfurling stage. How do they know when to open–practically in unison?! My son’s magnolia tree is just about there, but 3″ of snow Tuesday night and more to come on Saturday night (3-5″ they say) might stymie the poor things. That’s what happened last year. All the burgeoning buds were turned brown and lifeless by a late blast of winter chill. I hope they survive this spring!
Oh, Nancy, the winter in your neck of the woods has indeed been fickle (and cold!) I hope your son’s magnolia survives, too.
I love the poised, on-the-brink-ness of this poem. The hush of it. So cheering today.
Poised and on the brink…. yes, on the edged shelf of the seasons. Thank you, friend.
Waiting along with you for ALL the “silent green” to “unfurl.”
Oh Michele, I hope it comes soon to your neck of the woods. Thanks for reading!
‘I’m waiting, watching, counting
the sleeps until a quiet
wonder world awakes’
I love this, Jody. A lot. 🙂 ‘counting the sleeps’ is very interesting–makes me think.
Hi Julia, so glad you liked this. “Counting the sleeps” is a phrase my grandkids know well when it comes to passing the time until a birthday or Christmas 🙂 Thanks for reading!