Gently Admonishing

No, she winked; this time she 
really, truly means to bring
bashful Spring to the farewell
party she has arranged as a 
sendoff for another year to
the Old Grump who always 
balks at exiting. She has arranged
for a chorus of robins and 
song sparrows to voice an
exaltation of glory for departing
Winter, and exhorted tulips and
narcissus to emerge in bright
living textured colour in 
celebration of the event. None
are to mention their misery
at the lingering frost in the soil
they must penetrate, the
plaintively heartbreaking misery
of returning songbirds searching
scarce forage, and the broadest
hint of all, the presence of
Mourning Cloaks shifting their
grey shadows flittingly through
still-winterbound forests whose 
unease awaiting release from cold's 
miserable bondage is to be kept
carefully under wraps so as not
to offend Winter and convince him
his time to depart has not yet come.