A Spring Goodbye

In this frigid winter I write

To you who reminds me of this unwelcome chill,

That comes not at my request but at the hand of nature

Like the wind, you envelop me in an unwanted embrace,

Caressing my sorrow-tipped thoughts and exposed skin

Your darkness is more pervasive than that of the early setting sun

And I can flee from neither your grasp nor the force of the season

But as spring approaches

I plan to ween myself off of your frozen spectacle,

Lifting into flight with the insects of March,

Washing you away in the sheets of April rain,

Flowering alongside the revival of May’s blossoms

If you do not quit me in haste, though,

I will blind you with sun rays and choke you with pollen

And stab you with bee stings and drown you with melting snow

Because now it is the season of rebirth and I want to be born again

Without your frosted grip around my throat