Signs of Spring

By Jim Bates

Heard today a sign of spring,
The cooing of a mourning dove,
A call of memories to bring,
A song of gentle love.

This bright and sunny springtime day,
Soft warm breezes blowing,
Peaceful time spent in the garden patch,
Planting seeds and happily hoeing.

A sense of patience is in the air,
This time of long winter abating,
A look beyond the fallow land,
Toward springtime flowers awaiting.

One day lilacs burst into bloom, 
Fragrant lilies then fill the air,
Tulips and daffodils are a riot of color,
And springtime is suddenly everywhere.

Outdoors there is a sense of elation,
And finally, you know it is spring,
The world is bursting forth in bloom,
Makes you happy and want to sing.

Jim lives in a small town twenty miles west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His stories have appeared online in CafeLit, The Writers’ Cafe Magazine, Cabinet of Heed, Paragraph Planet, Nailpolish Stories, Ariel Chart, Potato Soup Journal, Literary Yard, Spillwords and The Drabble, and in print publications: A Million Ways, Mused Literary Journal, Gleam Flash Fiction Anthology #2 and The Best of CafeLit 8. You can also check out his blog to see more: http://www.theviewfromlonglake.wordpress.com.