May 6th, 2014

The leeks push first
Between patches of snow
Then trout lilies, trilliums
Violets grow

Urged upward, pushed skyward
By the power of spring
Shoved toward the heavens
Like geese on the wing

The plants all emerge
Like the ground’s giving birth
Push! Push!
Old Mother Earth

Push ‘til the branches
Are covered in leaves
Push ‘til the blossoms
Pop out on the trees

Push ‘til the berries
Are ripened on vines
Then push, push
A million more times

The forest floor is a Delivery Room!
It’s full of children
And some gross stuff!

But it’s family, it’s cousins
It’s life all the same
So tend it and watch it
And call it by name

And when someone who’s family
Gives birth to a child
Whether she’s tame
Or whether she’s wild

You have to go visit
And make a big fuss
‘Cause any new life
Is Mi-ra-cu-lous!

SM