2 Versions of 4 Seasons

These 2 different versions are separated by nine years Part 1 MUST BE SPRING Small speckles of wild grass Looking like tiny green drops That had fallen to the earth Were the very first sign Waving in the breeze With their feathery tops rippling They slowly reached for the sun Growing much taller than myself Then the dragonflies Darting about like lost Messerschmitts Looking for a place to land Foretold of the coming As I looked down the long winding path I saw off in the distance A slight figure of a woman Drawing closer and closer It was you (And I had missed you so) With your smiling face And your arms wildly waving hello Must be spring ------------------------------------------ MUST BE SUMMER The unusually humid Hot summer night Found my hands sliding Along your warm, moist body As I watched you Uncovered Lying nakedly on the cool sheets My eyes followed a single drop Of beaded sweat Which had leisurely rolled down Your gentle curves And magically disappeared As you awoke to my touch Smiling We both followed The movements of my fingers Thoroughly searching For a single drop of water Lost within the folds Of your thighs Must be summer - - - - - - - - - - - - MUST BE AUTUMN There was not a bird in the sky They had all fallen Into the top Of a large red oak tree On the northeast side of the meadow Each one singing Louder than the next Until all the leaves shattered And fell Must be autumn - - - - - - - - - - - MUST BE WINTER A single leaf On a tree Unyielding Is all that remains As a tribute to summer While on the ground Changing patterns with the blowing wind The dry crinkling sound of leaves Moves to and fro As the tree quietly sleeps Waiting For the chilly mornings to pass And the warmth of a spring rain To say… hello I Sit at my window Staring down the road Still waiting… for you Must be winter ==================================== Part 2 SPRING The windows rattled As the spring winds blew Down from the mountains And across the forest As I watched the newly budded trees Bend and sway Although spring was here It was a cold wind That chilled my cheeks As I pulled the hood Tighter over my face Walking home I watched While last year’s winter leaves Scurried across the ground Every so often stopping to rest Before running out of view I enjoy days like this It keeps my thoughts from rambling On thoughts of you With your Easter dress and bonnet Walking down this old country path Waving to me as you fall Silently over the mountain It was the last days of Spring ------------------------------------------ SUMMER It was one of the warmer summer days Not a breeze or cloud in the sky The humidity so high I could almost reach out And pluck it from the air I watched the sunlight Hitting the north side of my house Seeking shelter then slowly roll away Towards whatever little shade remained With the speed of Grandma’s Black Molasses A few miles east of the old country trail The river’s waters had fallen Lower than I had seen in years Even the riverbanks had dried Into a crumbling hard brown clay That yearned for the rains to come The heat, so oppressive and unyielding Muted the voices of the birds While all the wild animals That usually ran about the fields Sought out some relief or at the very least Waited until night fell Before coming out to play These were the quiet days The silent times of life It was the summer of waiting A time that I could no longer dance Or sing, or see you under the starry sky This was the summer you had gone And I had grown much, much too old To wait for another winter To bring you home It was the last days of Summer ------------------------------------------ AUTUMN Autumn arrived With a cool morning wind And the rustling Of golden brown leaves That changed color As they hysterically danced Through the town streets Before heading out To their winter home Here and there Gangs of ferocious squirrels Ran up and down the trees Harvesting whatever fruits and nuts That refused to drop From the shivering trees Whose bare bark Could be heard All about the woods As I watched Their once small mouths Now bulging With bits and pieces Of summers’ leftover bounty Hurrying down The old woodland paths I couldn’t help but smile This is the time of year That I enjoy the most A time of transition When the earth Prepares for a long winters nap Yes, it most definitely was (As I thought to myself smiling) A time of scurrying squirrels It was the last days of Autumn ------------------------------------------ WINTER Night inched its way Up the north-east side Of my house Much in the way A little child Would climb over a fence One small hand at a time And as night's shadow Reached the very top It stopped for a moment Before tumbling over And falling down The south-west wall Plunging the house into darkness It was a familiar winter night But what I remember most Was how much colder it seemed Then other winters before Nonetheless Warm or cold It was winter Complete in every way With winds like icy fingers And falling snow That seemed to go on and on Forever It was on a night like this That I thought of you A night When I was overwhelmed By everything that winter was Compounded by a darker darkness Than any nights I could remember That had come before And try as I might I could not summon the sun Or make it rise more swiftly To free my mind From unwanted thoughts Nor could I find any solace In the quiet, quiet Of winter’s silence It was Winter