Symphony in May Minor

from bare trees to green hearts
and dancing fronds —
three weeks since April nudged May

with its Spring-sweet symphony —
a leaf-squirrel-bird melody that
replaced winter’s cold quiet

Notes: The trees moved from the greening April 27 (even cars turned green with pollen as the leaves burst from their casings) to full green in under three weeks. The pine needles receded, and the deciduous trees took center stage. The greening is a special joy. May’s symphony of birdsong is music to my ears except at 4 am. Really, can’t they ever sleep in?

Writing Tip: This poem outgrew my original planned haiku. Sometimes I boil down the essence, but other times my subject needs a thinner broth. That’s okay, too. Like a sculptor finds the woman in the marble, the writer finds their thoughts in the words.

Of course others demonstrate their genius in only three lines.

“A Poppy Blooms” by Katsushika Hokusai

I write, erase, rewrite

Erase again, and then

A poppy blooms.

Or even two lines:

“Bittersweet Symphony” by the Verve

I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now But the airwaves are clean and there’s nobody singin’ to me now

Here’s a Symphony in A Minor by Mozart, and I apologize for my inability to resist a pun (did the title make you groan?). This symphony sounds like May — like happy birds in the hedgerow heckling a pudgy groundhog as he waddles toward his feast of dandelions.