In February

 

 

 

On this February afternoon,
    as the Sun begins Her return,
    brighter and brighter every day,
    Her breezes once more caress my face,
    ice and frost forgotten.
I think of Qi Gong, how the best moves are slow,
    the healing and the balance
    in each moment of movement.
Birds whistle absent-mindedly,
    to themselves and to me.
Last chance to notice and remember
    how the thin branches of the weeping cherry
    droop so gracefully, not yet blooming,
    a duchess with a teacup.
The sky all day is this-and-that,
    a mottled grey, talk of snow,
    and then the full warm blast of sun.
Like a Qi Gong adept, February says,
    "move slow, savor each moment,
    no expectations, just the bone-deep
    joy of the now." 

 

Annelinde Metzner

February 10, 2023