Salix Discolor

Seeking signs of earliest Spring,

this 10th day of March,

furry catkin nubs of salix discolor—

pussy willow—catches my attention

& catches my heart as I recall

gifting slender branches of them

to my grandmother each year.

She’d display them in a long, brass

stand I now use for umbrellas.

It sits beside a petite credenza

that graced her lavish entryway

and now enhances ours small hall.

Walking on, the breeze off water,

is cool, not chilled. The garden

I’ll plant growing in my mind.