the springsign of today is a lie
/Jim Wardell
the springsign of today is a lie
we will ourselves believe
this mountain ruse
of air & hope
you & I know
the wind is no lady
in green or gold
or burlap gray
come down singing
come to me come
you are the truth
birth & rebirth
will wait another day
or weeks for you
come to me come
fall where we may
lie molded
warm tangled limbs
lend comfort against the chill
of a too stubborn
season
Author’s Commentary: This poem, as most of my work, is grounded in a deep appreciation of life in the Appalachians and the connections we build between ourselves and this place we've made our home.
Jim Wardell is a musician and educator who has made his home in the mountains of southwest Virginia, where he plays, writes, teaches and learns at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. His work has appeared in Jimson Weed Journal, Tipton Poetry Review, Goliath, Snakeskin Magazine, Bitterzoet Magazine and Press, and Voices Literary Journal and Whurk Magazine.
