Sun., Mar. 29

Storms are scrubbing
the pavements, the lawn,
sweeping off the grime and grit
from months of winter now done.
Spring cleaning is more
than a verbal metaphor.
All nature wants to clean house,
except where the limbs fall,
and birds peck soil into heaps
(someone always gets in the way
of a big cleaning project).
Now the wintry clutter
of "what i'll do indoors"
meets the piles of
"what has to be done outdoors"
and is spaded over by
"what has to happen this summer."
Maybe fertile thoughts will grow
from this over-manured plot,
or just more weedy vines run amok
that will need pruning and culling.
It's hard
to get into all the corners
and spring clean as you ought.
The storms won't do it all.