Two of My Old Poems for February

I wrote the following two poems long ago, when I was teaching at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. This was in a county (Knott County) so small in population that in 1978-79 there were no traffic lights (well a blinking yellow light by Carr's Fork Lake). I still love these simple poems.

I love the evocativeness of the word "turtle" in the second poem. The word in the Song of Songs is often translated as "turtledove." But I like to use the word "turtle." Some American Indians called this land we call America "Turtle Island." That gives this poem a nice little twist.

February’s Dream

the snow lies thick upon the earth

the groundhog saw his shadow

the nights are long and bitter cold

but I have watched closely

and have seen some signs:

the morning concert of chirping birds

tree twigs turned a shade of red

silver maples’ pregnant buds

I have felt the quickening

first hope in this hard winter

I look for the crocus

and remember the birth

of a love

(Pippa Passes, Kentucky
February 1979)

Song of the Turtle

“and the song of the turtle is heard

throughout the land.” Song of Songs 2:12

winterwaiting

our spirits hibernating

like our brothers the bear

our sap slow and deep

our thoughts turned in

but what’s this?

a turtle coos victory over death

the earth quickens

sends out magic crocus

forsythia explode

ecstatic mirror of the sun

redbud promise

dogwood dance under the April moon

our sap is running

our love is blooming

our spirits dancing

to the turtle’s magic song

(Pippa Passes, Kentucky
February 1979)