Comes the Budding
Don’t open your eyes so soon,
this winter swoon
doesn’t want to cut us loose
quite yet.
Red blooms
at the end of your branches
feel soft
on the tips of my fingers.
Careful not
to squeeze too tight
and stunt new growth,
though we know
a cold snap
could come calling
at any moment.
I fall in love with the sun
every afternoon anew
when its rhythms of light
pour down through the sky,
splashing the scene
with a radiant shine,
sparking the sound
of a symphony
from the choir of birds
that can’t stop singing.
Who can blame them?
When ecstatic thoughts
start soaring,
I find it hard
to shut up
just the same.
Scott Thomas Outlar is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. He now lives and writes in Frederick, Maryland. His work has been nominated multiple times for both the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. He guest-edited the Hope Anthology of Poetry from CultureCult Press as well as the 2019-2023 Western Voices editions of Setu Mag. He is the author of seven books, including Songs of a Dissident (2015) and Abstract Visions of Light (2018). Selections of his poetry have been translated and published in 14 languages. More about Outlar's work can be found at 17Numa.com.