Plum Blossoms

Plum blossoms
Pink and purple plum blossoms,
Rained down upon me
as I stood in a circle of trees,
Arms outstretched, face lifted to the Sun.

Every Feb 2nd the trees gave me the signal
that winter would soon be over,
and spring would kiss my face and lift my spirits.

Every Feb 2nd for 13 years I reveled in the beauty of the plum blossom
and looked forward to the fruit that would grow through the summer…
dotting my landscape with red and purple bulbs of delight.

Every Sept 21st those circles of delight would be the center of my harvest,
The rattling of pots, the clanging of jars for preserves in autumn.

By Dec. 4th  paper plum blossoms adorned the jars of jam and sweet stuffed pastry I gave as gifts in winter.

For thirteen years  the  golden breasted tanager sang her song of joy from the trees, as plum blossoms showered over me she and I sang songs of joy.
I remember standing in the yard with a “him “
whose arm rested on the fence we built
to define the vegetable field,
and provide a space for my chickens,
ducks, pigeons, and pheasants.
They too enjoyed the shower of pink and purple plum blossoms
as they rained down upon “us.”

“We” pledged our love beneath that shower of flowers
and swore by the hair on our arms
that we would stand beneath the blossoms forever.

Twenty years or more have passed
and the seasons don’t  know their own names.
Smoke from the wildfires obscures the light of the sun.
Drought denies the water so loved and longed for by the trees.
Violent wind gusts drop bugs and birds from the sky.
There were no plum blossoms this Feb. 2nd. No private paradise. No rain of joy and beauty.

Climate change and regime change have silenced the song of the birds.
It is November, my face has been covered beneath this mask since March.
I can only remember the pink and purple plum blossoms raining down upon us.

“Us”, oh yeah..me and old what’s his name?
Because the blossoms don’t fall on me anymore and I can’t even remember my name.
Yeye Teish
10/29/2020

Ase O! A new day of hope, health and peace is upon us. Congrats to the Biden/Harris SQUAD. Congrats to the continued progression of mankind.

Please stay safe, educated and keep creating!