The Long Requirement
During the past
twenty-four hours
I have seen two
spiders.
This is big news.
After a winter of
relentless snow
and thaw, rain and
ice,
even a spider –
signaling that
insects
are stirring into
spring –
excites my blood.
You may laugh
at this desperate
noticing.
If so, you have not
truly encountered
the cold threat of
this winter.
the long requirement
of engagement
necessary for
survival,
the willingness to
get up
every morning without
fail,
to make fire, to
bring warmth,
to step out, day
after white day,
into the winter
world.
Some do this inside
their own souls
without having to
clear snow from their doors
or watch weather for
travel.
It is no different.
Winter comes to the
spirit as well as to the land
and all signs of
spring
even a crawling
spider
are as welcome
as a July sunrise.
