My Delayed Garden

It's spring, the miracle of rebirth
after winter's cruel cold, and how
could I not but be amazed anew at
the magic of finally witnessing fresh
green shoots of lilies and irises,  
hostas and tulips begin to shoot from 
the still-frozen soil of my garden 
as the snow began to melt and the sun 
embraced the rising world of the garden. 
It's March and though I credulously 
watched those shoots growing taller 
day by day, a new succession of 
snowstorms succeeded in burying that 
new life and how could I not be utterly
devastated? My longing for the
blissful spontaneity of summer, the 
fresh fragrance of the growing garden
with its colour, diversity and form
delighting the eye like an enchanted
landscape shimmering in its glory, the 
very thought of it all expiring as winter 
set in for that long sleep of absence ...
over! preparing me for the reappearance 
of those plants and flowers, blooming 
shrubs and trees offering pleasure and 
pride in equal measure in my beloved
garden  of earthly delights ... delayed.