THE CROCUS

It has been a long, hard winter...
    seems to me.

Even the grass is a faded
    brownish-green and
     is tired of the cold...

Our Rose of Sharon has
        no leaves.

The mulberries are bare.

Old Mr. Sun is still too low
    in the southern sky
      every afternoon
       for one to sit
        on the patio.

The February sky is an unfriendly,
     cold one---sans the billowing
      white, avuncular clouds of
                 summer.

The blue jays left in October,
            and are not back....
       We miss their fussing
       and noisy carryings-on
       in the tops of the pines!

My imitation red rose, from Michael's,
          given to me by the
            Beloved Editor,

sits in its little white vase in front
     of me, here at my deskl    
            where I write.

There is a neat lady, from the Clovis
   area who lives here, grows roses,
          and sends me one now
                     and then...

but it is a long time until "rose season"
                      in May!

There is hope however--- the nights
    are a bit above freezing now,
     and we saw a robin today,
        searching for worms
          on the front lawn.

But I have a secret to surprise my
                     wife!

For you see, we once planted
   several crocus bulbs
            (in 1985)
     and they came up right
        through  the snow
          early the next
              spring.

When those little hardy flowers came
    up, they warmed my heart!

Last fall I sneaked out to our meager
    flower bed and planted six
               crocus bulbs...

There is snow still in the flowerbeds
     from the storm last week...

So every day I slip out there to see
    if my little flowers are
        peeking through---

Hoping to see them coming up through
             the snow, with their
               tiny green leaves---

I will take my companion of fifty-seven
                     winters
              by the hand, and will
                lead her out to see
                   our crocuses---

A BIG SURPRISE....and will read this
           poem, I have written---

O Little Flower, thou cold-natured one,
Why do I love thee almost more---
than any other flower?

For you know I am very fond
    of a rose...
because of its symbolism and it is
  a flower that gladdens the heart
        of a lady...every time---
I have ever been fond of daisies, and
     wildflowers, like bluebonnets
     and sunflowers (don't laugh)...

But it is given to you, Little One,
     to peek out into the
               snow

and thus announce the advent of
            all the others!

********30*******
BY MIL
02/11/14