Debbie Wiess

Boston, MA USA

 

 

Debbie Wiess is a Boston-based writer, who writes in French, as well as English. She has created a wide variety 

of projects for stage and screen, poetry and short stories, in both languages.  Her work has been presented throughout 

the US and abroad. Many of her poems have been published. She has been a member of the Bagel Bards since 2013 

and has had work included in its anthology each year since then. In addition to writing, she also directs and produces.

 

 

Poem written 28th April 2020

 

 

This Spring is Different, yet…

 

Running along the Charles River

I observe the cyclical rhythm of nature.

From the equinox mid-March and through

April and May there are all sorts of small 

indications that reveal a world that is 

awakening and renewing itself.

 

The changes are imperceptible.

One hardly notices anything at first.

But over time one remarks 

more and more  

the joyful chirping of the birds

resounding in one’s ears,

the grass covering the ground 

with a carpet in shades of green,

the trees and plants, stark naked, 

dressing themselves in leaves and buds,

the cherry and magnolia trees showing off 

their rosy blooms with vainglorious pride,

and the daffodils, their shoots emerging 

from the soil later open in an explosion 

of bright yellow.

 

Most remarkable is the quality of  

the light as the days lengthen. 

The sun’s rays caressing the Earth 

envelop everything in a new luminosity.

 

The events of Man 

that mark the season: 

Opening Day of Baseball,

Boston Marathon,

Art in Bloom, 

among others, are cancelled or

rescheduled for later in the year.

Still, nothing and no one  

can stop the arrival of Spring.

Nature does not care 

about society’s concerns 

and continues on its course.

 

Nevertheless, our daily life is up-ended.

Our activities are now very limited.

No more movies, no more theatre, 

no more visits to museums, 

no more shows, no more concerts, 

no more dinners out in restaurants, 

no more plans with friends,

no more family gatherings,

and above all no more traveling...

Sometimes it seems that there 

is no more anything. However, there

is still all the world out there.

 

Restricted to staying inside the home,

we keep our distance one from another.

Wearing home-made and make-shift masks  

when we go outside for errands 

and for exercise or some air.

Now my excursions to the Esplanade 

to run have become wonderful excuses 

to escape the confines of my apartment;

more than that they are a necessity 

and a gift.

 

Nonetheless life goes on…

That, one is able to attest to 

particularly at this time of the year. 

Life very simply is just much simpler. 

 

Everything appears normal, 

yet nothing is at all normal. Yes,

this year Spring is very different. 

But, it is also exactly the same.