Finis Coronat Opus

As zephyr cool drifts o’er the blades Of greenest verdure’s velvet path, And wakes wildflowers of colors gay, My tired feet send the life at last. Through winter’s chill they carried oft, And bore great weight through dismal day That froze and stiffened footfall soft Until they ached with needling pain. And now they wake with warmth anew To dance with sparrow singing bright, And skip with calf, and lamb, and ewe, While ever lasts the spring sunlight.

‘Neath stormy sea I fight my way, Deep waters swirling ‘round my head And threat’ning with each crashing wave To draw me back to murky depths. I reach above, where glimm’ring light Beams down amid the azure blue Of waters deep that men affright, Whose hearts with strength are not imbued. At last, my reach extends beyond The depths of ocean’s chilly grasp; My eyes catch glimpse of solid ground As deep my lungs drink air in gasps. And laying on the sandy shore, While breathing deep the salty breeze, I gaze to skies that rise far o’er The deathly waves that lap my feet.

The frozen months behind us lie In darkness drifting past; The hardened earth that fallow lies Begins to wake at last. From sopping mud that thawed beneath The rays of warming sun, There spring forth stems, and buds, and leaves, And grasses green and young. As ground erupts in blissful hue, The sparrows light aloft And warble songs each day anew In sunny pastures soft. Such life abounds, that ‘neath the snow And ice lay slumbering; How well does this creation glow In fair Spring’s wakening.