Time is a green orchard

A middle-northern March, now as always--

gusts from the South broken against cold winds—

but from under, as if a slow hand lifted a tide,

it move—not into April—into a second March,

the old skin of wind-clear scales dropping

upon the mold: this is the shadow projects the tree

upward causing the sun to shine in his sphere.

So we will put on our pink felt hat—new last year!

—newer this by virtue of brown eyes turning back

the seasons—and let us walk to the orchid-house,

see the flowers will take the prize tomorrow

at the Palace.

                    Stop here, these are our oleanders.

When they are in bloom—

                                          You would waste words

It is clearer to me than if the pink

were on the branch. It would be a searching in

a colored cloud to reveal that which now, huskless,

shows the very reason for their being.

And these the orange-trees, in blossom—no need

to tell with this weight of perfume in the air.

If it were not so dark in this shed one could better

see the white.

                     It is that very perfume

has drawn the darkness down among the leaves.

Do I speak clearly enough?

It is this darkness reveals that which darkness alone

loosens and sets spinning on waxen wings--

not the touch of a finger-tip, not the motion

of a sigh. A too heavy sweetness proves

its own caretaker.

And here are the orchids!

                                        Never having seen

such gaiety I will read these flowers for you:

This is an odd January, died—in Villon's time.

Snow, this is and this the stain of a violet

grew in that place the spring that foresaw its own doom.

And this, a certain July from Iceland:

a young woman of that place

breathed it toward the South. It took root there.

The color ran true but the plant is small.

This falling spray of snow-flakes is

a handful of dead Februaries

prayed into flower by Rafael Arevalo Martinez

of Guatemala.

                          Here's that old friend who

went by my side so many years: this full, fragile

head of veined lavender. Oh that April

that we first went with our stiff lusts

leaving the city behind, out to the green hill—

May, they said she was. A hand for all of us:

this branch of blue butterflies tied to this stem.

June is a yellow cup I'll not name; August

the over-heavy one. And here are—

russet and shiny, all but March. And March?

Ah, March—

                     Flowers are a tiresome pastime.

One has a wish to shake them from their pots

root and stem, for the sun to gnaw.

Walk out again into the cold and saunter home

to the fire. This day has blossomed long enough.

I have wiped out the red night and lit a blaze

instead which will at least warm our hands

and stir up the talk.

                              I think we have kept fair time.

Time is a green orchard.  i hope i helped!

the flighty purpose never is o'ertook / unless the deed go with it"

it was the fourth thursday of november and cassey headed down to the woods to pick up the mushrooms mother had told her to to complement the turkey the family was going to have as they did every day.

she usually sweapt the floors and went for water, but today that task was asked to her younger sister since matthew, the only boy, had gone to the town with father in order to find cheap fabrics to make clothes.

the shoe business was not being as profitable as before, so they had decided to make clothes to sell in the village.

today there would not be time to play with mary, her neighbour and friend, to play to be still in water, a game that was not only part of the fun in the village, but also very useful if there happened to be an acciddent when she had to cross the shore by boat, as she had to at least twice a week to visit grandma.

bored and uninterested in the task she had been imposed to do, cassey started to pull up the best mushrooms she could see. suddenly, something hard was found by her tender fingers. she couldn't believe her eyes: a gold ring crowned by a diamond appeared between her fragile fingers

before she had time to think what to do, a deep voice spoke at her back.

- i heard your mum asking you to pick up mushrooms for the turkey - said her beloved tom - would you collect mushrooms for me next day?

- yes, sure. are you planning to invite someone important? - cassey asked.

- of course. i'm planning to invite two families, mine and my wife's. will you marry me? - tom asked on his knees.

cassey looked at the ring, then at tom, and she felt the moisture in her eyes. she hugged him, kissed him and in those simple actions the answer of her life was implied.