Just Another Season by Ken HarnischThere comes that time
Just as March ends and
In its grudging retreat
New green shoots
Sprout through the drear
Of the winter-wearied earth
That makes you want to yearn for Spring.
Ah, but the Poet and the Pragmatist vie
In me for attention, and what I see
From here is the stone-cold garden
Unturned, and the shed where the pitted timbers
Need their nails, and their new uprightness.
All before the paint is slapped on freshly
White and the new can cover up the old
Perhaps it was the harshness of this winter
That gives me pause in my pre-laboring thought.
Twas the snow, yes, but also the fierce noises
Of the blustering winds, roaring overlong,
Chilling not only the earth, but the soul.
It was a time to realize I was too weary for the battles
But my blood still runs too hotly to ignore
In the eaves of the barn, the owls hoot softly;
Their big eyes closed against the darkness;
Their feathers trembling in their sleep as
They await the zephyrs of a redeeming spring
On the fence posts, crows flock to roost and the raven
Eyes the land with keen appraisal for its ravishment
This winter, the vultures fed on them all.
I am supposed to be in a happy mood, I think.
The young girls in their blowsy skirts are resurfacing
To make me smile and the warm air and sunshine
Promises sunburn and baseball and beer. Still, the
Barn is falling down and the shed is mottled grey
And I, who have always had a discerning eye, wonder
If it is time to turn it to rebuilding, not rebirth
Once, pixies danced in my imagination and played their fifes.
I once heard their melodies of spring and took heart,
For their music was like a kiss upon my
Breast; a fire in my soul. But this is a different place.
My eyes see too much; my heart has glazed with ice;
Life has taken on a more prosaic bent,
And spring, this time, is just another season 04/13/2003 Posted on 04/13/2003 Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch
Member Comments on this Poem |
Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 04/14/03 at 02:26 AM Quite the juxtaposition of seasonal ups and heartfelt downs Ken. Can sure relate to this one in my own way. Thanks for putting it so eloquently into words. |
Posted by Melissa Arel on 04/14/03 at 12:52 PM I liked how you described the emotions with each turn of season.. However, I hope Spring rains Love down on you, and becomes more than just "another season". Amazing piece here Ken, written skillfully and diligently.. :) |
Posted by Kate Demeree on 04/16/03 at 06:27 PM I echoe Melissa... I too wish you a spring filled with Love. The haunting bittersweet feeling of this poem has remained with me from my first glimpses of it. "�Twas the snow, yes, but also the fierce noises
Of the blustering winds, roaring overlong,
Chilling not only the earth, but the soul.
It was a time to realize I was too weary for the battles
But my blood still runs too hotly to ignore" I think will stay in my mind for a very long time.
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Posted by Agnes Eva on 04/17/03 at 03:52 PM yes time does cause some jadedness and a mellowing of awe, but to poets it will never be 'just another season', you describe things so beautifully and you will always see into the season and glean something new and special, as you are here |
Posted by Charles E Minshall on 04/18/03 at 04:44 AM Very good poem Ken: Sounds like your spring has
sprung along with the spring that has sprung....Charlie |
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