Sow-Nurture-Reap, to Every Heart, its Seasons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

As I grow old(er) incidents and conversations from my childhood and younger years return to haunt me, in the nicest way, but make me wish I had learned sooner to listen more for what often lies behind certain words, phrases and sentences people select to use at any given moment in time… instead of just taking them at face value.

BOY ROGER:  I hate winter. It’s cold and horrible and so long. It just goes on, and on, and on...

MOTHER: Never mind, dear, it will be spring before you know it.

BOY ROGER:  Huh! I’ll believe that when I see it.

MOTHER: Yes, well, give up on spring and you really will have a long winter. Why don’t you go out to play instead of moping around?

BOY ROGER: No one will want to come out to play on a day like this.

MOTHER: Perhaps not. But you’ll never know unless you make the effort to go and find out, will you?

BOY ROGER: (grudgingly) I suppose not…

No matter how hard a time we may be having or how it may strike us (at any age) that the winter of our years has struck prematurely, we should never forget that another springtime will follow as sure as day follows night. Oh, and I well recall how I did make the effort on that occasion all those years ago and did find someone to play with; a cold, grey, winter’s day didn’t seem nearly as bad after all, just for being able to share it with someone, and create a lasting happy memory.

SOW-NURTURE-REAP, TO EVERY HEART, ITS SEASONS 

Once there was a time

it seemed like winter every day,

only a watery sunshine

streaking a sky that’s leaden grey  

life barely worth living

Past and present, unforgiving,

catching me out  

in what I took to be a loneliness

of old age as I’d read about

in novels, rarely taking notice,

forgetting the roots

of fiction lie in such harsh reality

as now had me in its grip,

leaving me to fret that only much

the same lay ahead, cruel

twists of fate by any other name,

delivering me into a spiral

of heavy, leaden grey depression

No hope of rescue till into my life

you came, bringing light,

warmth and joy, making of a lonely

winter of the heart a fair copy of some

eternal springtime 

Oh, and such a spring! Come to lend

even its shadows a touch

of wry humour, so lessening the burden

of my distress that I could

once more make space for a happiness

of which neither age, gender,

culture, creed or sexuality may justly

(surely?) claim a monopoly

content (finally) to let sleeping dogs lie,

cease berating a rose

for its thorns, rain for catching me out,

but dry my tears, start to love

and laugh, feel young at heart again

Where society so loves to put down

its gay lovers, be sure our season will long,

outlive its own, and even when time

brings us to where dark winters looming,

we'll never give up on spring

Copyright R. N. Taber 2012