Go outside, of course.
How could you not?
With the sun shining
on the other side
of still bare trees,
making the sky seem
less far away, less
part of something
you never could attain.
Look, of course.
How could you not?
At the just starting
to appear tips of crocuses
pushing their way
through barely green grass,
at leaf buds on limbs,
almost ready to pop
open to warmth and rain.
Listen, of course.
How could you not?
To wind blowing
through limbs
across a sky
you've imagined would look
exactly the way it does.
Play, of course,
flinging your arms
high and wide,
running in circles
fast and free,
shouting each name
you know and hearing
your own called out.
Stop, lie down, rest.
How could you not?
You've made it again
and the whole world
seems willing
to take you in.
Mostly, breathe.
How could you not?

From Worlds Enough (Redhawk Publications, 2022).
Used here with permission.