Vicissitudes Of Spring Poem by L MILTON HANKINS

Raindrops sprinkle spent dogwood petals on the lawn
While tiny bluebirds perch in nearby mulberry, stalling,
Awaiting the drizzle's end, fussing at a week-old fawn
Who grazes unaware sharp crystal droplets are falling,
Raining down like tiny sharp fragments of shrapnel.
Afternoon planting, too, must wait ‘til morrow's dawning
Lest fragile seedlings, soaked through, hear death's knell,
Rotting from the roots, fall over, their life withdrawing
The vicissitudes of spring promise both life and death:
The mingling of joy and sorrow, reflected in nature here
On my lawn, in my garden; mirroring life's fragile breath,
Proper Mother Nature making her message indelibly clear.