Regret and rebirth combine in this dark month.
Regret over a year wasted. Trips not taken. Words unsaid.
Rebirth as a new one begins. No pathway forbidden.

The hopes of a new year have died along with the resolutions long discarded.
Will my body ever feel the warmth of spring sunlight again?
A sad, desperate month. Heartsick, depression, and suicide reign.

The temperature tentatively creeps up. Snow births a muddy field.
An optimistic tree launches its first assault of buds only to be killed by frost.
Hearts beat quickly as the hope of spring returning renews.

Cool showers are welcomed by the warming dark earth.
Drinking up the water and warming rays that early spring brings.
All that once seemed dead has been resurrected. Miracles do exist.

Layers are removed as warmth is added. Pools are opened and heated.
Cookouts, graduations, and changes abound each weekend.
Schoolchildren become antsy as vacation creeps nearer.

Summer begins with a roar as flights and road trips ramp up.
Office workers longingly gaze out windows like zoo animals through bars.
Kids spend their longed-for free time outside, with friends, online.

Patriotism and charcoal bring summer to a peak. No one works the first week.
Adults and children celebrate the joy of summer together. Stress melts away.
The threat of school beginning slowly waxes in young minds.

Summer ennui strikes all but the heartiest frolicker. The dog days are here.
Humidity increases with the anxiety of a return to school.
Backpacks and pencils fly off shelves like bread in the USSR.

A few hot days reignite a longing for a summer, only to be doused by crisp nights.
Leaves color like fire before falling dead. They return to the earth they were born from.
Fairs, festivals, and fires fill each weekend. Joyful screams fill the air.

Everyone is focused on Halloween. Costumes, sweaters, and boots can’t be missed.
Pumpkin flavored everything can be found, especially things best unflavored.
Reality thins as magic fattens.

The grayest of all but also filled with family and food.
Without Thanksgiving it might eclipse February as the worst.
Instead, it’s filled with warmth, family, and overstuffed walkers.

Winter sets in for real as thermostats are cranked. Flurries begin.
There is magic in the air and a spark in children’s eyes.
Even I begin to wonder what’s real.