My confidence increases with the length
Of the days. I raise my eyes to meet others,
Matching the Sun as it ascends to
Ever greater heights in the sky.

This life feels new, as though I am
Finally in leaf after a long winter
Of temporary death. At last, this life feels
Possible as I want to live it;
Like a forest into which I am growing,
Branches extending to interlock
With others as they are meant to do.

My heart has awakened from its hibernation
To find a world that is beautiful again,
Warmer and fuller of possibilities.

Exploration of the long forgotten land within me
Has brought me gradually from winter to spring:
Frost and icy winds have given way
To April showers and May sunshine,
Colours returning to a world that had been
So monochrome when seen through my
Smoked glass eyes.

Finally, I realise that I do not need
To be afraid; that if I do not take risks
I will never reap rewards. Staying in
My comfort zone brings only discomfort.

From a premature winter I have grown
Another spring; it seems that I am younger
Than I sometimes feel. There is
Happiness to be found after all: my fear
That I had imagined it is unfounded.

Even as the days grow shorter, they will remain
Long in my heart: full of sunshine, full of life,
Full of swallows that stay in
The warmth of my heart all year long.

05/12/2016

Posted on 07/07/2016
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince