The Crone Speaks in Springtime

Now that the Spring Equinox has arrived, here is a poem for the season.

long have I travelled, & now I lean
into the low years, letting time
stretch out, letting it savour,
tasting the ebb & flow
of the approaching equinox –

as light becomes long,
stretches to reclaim its strength
from the corners of night,
as earth strengthens in increasing light,
& the ground under our feet
grows ever more solid,
as the world spreads out
& welcomes the willow,
welcomes the lily,
finally welcomes
me as I tell my story.

do not be afraid,
the honeycomb is always there,
just as life is ever
overwintering in tree roots.
all comes in its own time
in this season of patience,
as our lives unfold in the frameworks
of this puzzling universe.

precious sun, growing
as we finger the fuzzy magnolia buds,
always here, always now,
always gazing
at future fires.

© Helen Iacovino

First published by the Canadian Unitarian Universalist Women’s Association in their online publication “Empowerment With the Goddesses,” 2023. cuuwa.ca