Awaken, baby calves –
Become birdsong, blooming blossoms!
The breeze is budding buds
While chilly clothes the clouds in crocus dew.
Dogwood, earth-scent emerges
Emerging ephemeral flying gardens.
Goldfinches and grasses green,
Greening growth and hawk(ing)
Invasive lamb’s (ear) before the lengthening lion.
Melting nestlings nest,
Pollen ponds and puddles.
Rain falls red for renewal,
Resurrection of robin and sap.
Snow and snowmelt sprout sunshine and tulips,
A twitterpated unfolding –
Unfurling.
* This poem is an abecedarian, following an ABC pattern. The keywords, which are used alphabetically,
are called kigo words, and they signal a season. The kigo words in this composition are nouns,
adjectives, and verbs that signal the season of spring; they were collected in a list during the Haiku
Workshop at The Porch Gathering in North Carolina in March 2024. With thanks to all participants who
contributed these kigo words!
Shan Overton lives and writes in Nashville. She currently serves as Associate Dean of Academics and Associate Professor of Practical Theology at American Baptist College, a liberal arts HBCU dedicated to social justice, equity, advocacy, and leadership.
