Glimmers of Hope

By the time winter in Kentucky gasps its last breath, 

the world has gone all gray, brown, and tan. 

On a frosty February morning, no one is spared 

a full dose of gloom.

Our dogwood tree seems to have abandoned every hope.

Yet frost sparkles shine glimmers of hope

 into the murky morning, and an

 adventurous meadowlark reminds me

 that, against all odds, spring is on the way. 

Warm breezes will soon tickle their way through wide-open windows.

Every shade of green will pierce and push away dried-leaf blankets.

The sun will reach into new corners of my kitchen and make me 

consider spring cleaning.

And what seemed to be dead will come to life again.

Clive wasn't talking about the doubtful state of dogwood trees in February 

when he wrote to Mary Shelburne in 1963: 

"There are better things ahead than any we leave behind." 
 

But I think it still works.