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