Like last year, I have invited some poet friends to share their work with us. I'm pleased to have Nancy Keck return with this year with this poem to spring. See her last year's submissions here, here, and here.
Spring Time in the Autumn of Our Lives
I am thankful for the lilacs and the rain this springtime in the Grand
Valley as I move unwillingly into old age.
So many spring times and autumns lived here in Colorado, the West,
though my memory remains in the North Country on the shore of
Lake Superior, my heart’s home.
Yet year upon year I’ve lived in the high desert
where our daughters grew into brave young women,
mothers now with compassionate careers
their lives have passed as a flicker of a candle flame,
as my life has passed
Until now when I wake in the morning and my mind searches my body
for the locus of pain and I wonder
How mobile will I be today?
How long will my energy sustain me?
What, if anything, will I accomplish?
The first cup of coffee brings hope
soaking in a hot tub of Epsom Salts and lavender bring relief
then, I can begin my day.
Focus on the good, I think, all the joys of this life
extravagant scent of the lilacs
deep softness of my husky’s thick, double coat
steady richness of my husband’s garden
peach-tender skin of my sleeping grandson’s cheek
caring closeness of my daughters
understanding humor of my friends
sunlight glancing off the Colorado River, my sister now,
after all the years I’ve spent on her banks
joy of birdsong in the morning
safety of our little house that shelters us, my husband and I,
survivors of loss and desperation
walking gently into these, the latest years of our lives
believing in the dreams of our adult children
loving the promise of our grandchildren
seeking gratitude for all we have been given.
~Nancy E. Keck, May 16, 2016
What would be on your list when you focus on the good?
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