Spring

by Marc Mangel

 

Spring can set suddenly and harshly

turning good desires into a puddle of mush

and not wanting to do much

of turning the anger between men into

love between men and women

turning the cold burns of winter into a

warmer burn of summer to be sun that

seems to insulate each one of us in his own

small world.

 

Spring can set slowly and painlessly

so quiet to be unnoticed that even the bees

forget to come out and begin their work

on the golden joy of life

so slowly that each man forgets his humanity

and remains the work machine of slavedom to

eating

 

And spring ca not set at all

bypassed somehow on the highway

that noone understands and for which the

AAA is missing a map and suddenly from

a wind that screeches through us biting past

the papelike coats there is a sun so hot

and smoldering that our skins cry pain and

the water we took with us many millions ago

disappears as tiny shiny drops into the

air to perhaps come down in a torrent

cause spring can set suddenly and harshly

 

April 1973