The Awakening Poem by Daleen Enslinstrydom

The morning breaks through
the winter mist that hangs low
over the escarpment.

The sun is dim and lukewarm
and there is a chilly wind
that cuts through flesh and bone
and it drops the temperature outside
to much colder

And I long for the summer
and I wish that spring was already here
and I look at the pansies
that tries to give a bit of colour
to a grey background
and I feel almost sorry for them.

Everything around me is dull and dreary
and the emptiness
makes me feel sad
and everything smells of dust
and the air is stuffy

And I have got to remind myself
that winter is only a passing season
and spring will be back
in all of its joyful colours

And as my eye catches a cloud
that dances on the wind
I realise that I do miss the rain
and the smell of it

And the gardenia that flowers
in the front yard
and the smell of jasmine
in the early mornings
and late evenings

And I think of the seeds
that I have planted
and of how they will grow
after the first drops
of spring rain that falls

And these thoughts change my mood
from heavy to light and from dreary to hope
as I know that the winter will pass
when I notice a weaver
whose feathers have already changed
into his colourful spring coat

And now I know
that the time of the awakening has begun.