A Poem

by Jessica DiDonato

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Tick-tick-tick—
the dog’s paws dance as she ambles down the sidewalk,
nose to ground, picking up the scents of all who have traveled this path before us.
To our left, a patch of delicate white flowers I hadn’t noticed yesterday.
To our right, a mailbox garden bed, mulch dull and weary from seasons past,
donning whispers of green that will soon spawn crocus flowers,
as if to say softly, “It’s time.”
For a moment I feel the warmth of the late-March sun
until a bitter gust reminds me that Mother Nature has still imposed her blustery curfew
and will lift it when she’s good and ready.
Tick-tick-tick—
we pass a robin, red breast a stark contrast to the ashen apple tree,
a welcome foreshadowing of the greens and pinks that will adorn the earth once again,
filling winter’s gray canvas with renewed vibrancy.
Flora and fauna, right on time,
abiding by an internal clock, as all life miraculously has,
to keep us in sync with each other—
Tick-tick-tick.