>We have taken the darkness
and cast it down.
We have thrown off our damp things,
stripped away the grime and filth,
given our bodies to the sun,
and sucked in the cool,
fresh air of Spring.
This is a gift.

But we carry with us still
the shadows of our failings,
the bones of our fragile lives,
the ghosts of our tragedies;
and I am here to testify:
Every word that proceeds,
proceeds from the heart.

And this also I know:
I know it is my heart
that needs its own Spring
more than the budless branch,
more than the bloomless rose,
more than the wintry earth.
For it is my heart that longs,
like a seed longs for the thaw,
for its own true birth.

~ 2008

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This morning, when I let the dog out, I noticed it was snowing.

An interesting Oregon Spring so far.