I found a secret place

     Sheltered from April’s sharp winds,

          Down a narrow forest path.

Spring arrives early there

     Under a gray cobalt sky,

          Before the snows have all melted away.

There, I hear the soothing trickle of snowmelt

     Down the forest floor

          Sending slips of gentle water to the river below.

Delicate violets push sassily

     Up from the dark earth and tightly curled fiddleheads,

          Unfurl in the spring hazy sunlight.

I shed my heavy winter heart

     As a grass snake sheds his skin,

          For it is spring, and I am young again.