False Spring

an uncanny raucous chirp chirp is heard
as mockful birds suddenly appear making nests
quarrelsome with unexpected matings
and the heady blush of bugs 'n such stir 'n sting anew
enthralled lovers stroll neath a startled blue sky
hayfever aroused prematurely by the lusty santanas
blinds me with sneeze
and my restless lay moves on to moister ground
(and they say i've never known snow)
it is the middle of winter California-style
tell that to the magenta butterflies
blossoms pink and yellow limbs bared scanty weeks ago
even the trees are deceived




"False Spring" from Hand Dance by Wanda Coleman. Copyright © 1993. Reprinted by permission of the author and Black Sparrow Press.