The Return

a poem

Image by Ian Chen on Unsplash

Spring is natures return
her long and arduous climb
up from the depths
the tendrils of shadow
the stains of ash
the scent of death
clinging to her body
She pulls herself up

The light hurts her eyes
She wants to recoil
to fall into the soothing darkness
but she resists
She calls up the fight,
the need to breathe,
the need to live
and her body keeps moving

She fears what will greet her
will the world have changed
will she be recognisable now
with these layers gone
this skin shed
what will not awaken from the winter slumber
what will she have to leave behind
swallowed into the underworld

The climb is steep
it feels endless and yet inevitable
She is climbing toward home
toward the light that she has carried with her
hands grasping
feet pushing
whole body birthing itself
into the dawn of a new day