May Day

Wow! One day we were walking in the garden behind the church with nothing in bloom and then yesterday all of these glorious tulips had appeared in full bloom. What a great surprise! On a recent Poetry Sunday service, one of the speakers read the poem which follows, written by church member Nancy T. Adam.

Springsong: a poem in three parts

I.April: ruffles and flourish
A fanfare of forsythia
bursts over and around the split-rail
fence
and further on, brash daffodils,
their trumpets flaring, abound.
Forget-me-nots pipe a blues refrain
and hyacinths, siren-like blare,
casting their spell on the unwary, singing
rings around my posies, then wilt.
Only their fragrance lasts.

II. Blessings of May
Many are the blessings of May:
grass, newly minted, green and soft,
fledglings aloft learning the ways
of wings and breezes, leaves
daily filling the spaces of trees'
winter-barren frames.
Downy, song-filled days
longer by more than light, warmer by more than words,
days, given like prayers,
natural as breath: blessings of May.

III. Where is June?
The smell of summer teases
in the brief warm stillness near noon;
These May gifts keep us guessing,where is June, where is June?
Scotch broom sways in gentle breezes, buds
almost yellow, promising the suns,
the moon;
and the golden willow weeps in
concert,
where is June, where is June?

Now daisies swell and burst,
each pristine petal a new note, new
tune;
morning springs open, smells dew-
clean,
brings the news,
here is June, here is June!