Springtime comes around,

Finding us caught, helpless

In the merciless clutches of cabin fever,

And it releases us, sets us free

To go outside again, and enjoy the weather

But only for a little while.

Because then comes the rain,

And while it’s great for the plants,

It’s no good for us;

We’ve already spent several long months indoors,

Waiting for the weather to warm up.

Now that it has, we eventually decide,

That rain or no rain—who cares?—

We’re going outside whether it’s muddy or not!

Tramping in and out,

With dirty shoes, dripping hair,

And wet jackets.

Making no end of a mess for our poor mothers to lament,

We cheerfully defy the rainy weather

Until at last it admits defeat,

And with a sigh retreats to let the sun shine through at last.

And blinking in the sudden light,

We gaze around in wonder and awe

At the beauty of creation reborn,

The world exploding into motion,

Life bearing life,

Flowers tipping their colorful hats to us as we pass,

And the singing birds on the green tree boughs.

All these things we see each year,

But they never lose their wonder

Because the harsh death that comes with winter,

The bleary weather, the gray landscape,

Wipes from our minds the beauty of spring,

Makes us forget the liveliness of summertime

So that we might experience them anew each year,

Like a newborn fawn, opening its eyes for the first time

And seeing the world as it truly is.

That is winter’s gift,

To show us a brand-new spring each year

With the curtain pulled back

So that for one glorious, majestic heartbeat

In our mortal earthly lives,

We know what it is to be alive.