First Leaves
leaves on the currant bushes
emerge
lilacs compressed clusters
dense purple
cones
willows wispy yellow haze
halo
newborn’s hair
dandelions strong already
dominant assertive
forsythia branches bloom
maples proffer bright red buds
and those trees that still look bare
from a distance
look different now
than in autumn
they reach out offer their strength
rather than retreating
within their trunks
there is a tingling
about their tips