This Winter

There have been so many days like
this one -- warm, sweet surprises
unfolding themselves in between
all that's bitter, all that we expect.

This winter is brighter, somehow.
As if it cast off what had burdened it.
Dinner done, the dishes up, some
hot tea ready and the last counter
crumbs just wiped clean --
it's that sort of feeling.

I see it most as I wander among
all these rooted trees that seemed
only stripped and sad a year ago.

They feel more comfortable now,
their robes slipped off and
rustling at their feet.
They stand close together,
bold lovers, exposed --
bare to the tips of themselves --
arching and stretching,
hearts full of thick sap and
strong desires for the sun,
for the warmth they feel coming on.