Jack ex Machina

that familiar ache
in the western sky
the sun, a bawling fire

like a jack from a box
a memory springs

there’s a grand stretch to the evenings
my mother would say
in Spring.

Over at earthweal, Sarah Connor, asks us to celebrate Imbolc

“Today, I want to think about Imbolc. Traditionally celebrated at the start of February, Imbolc is a festival of new life and new beginnings. The name derives from “in the belly” — the first stirrings of life, seeds starting to sprout. In Northern Europe the days are starting to lengthen. Lambs and calves are starting to be born. Snowdrops are appearing, and buds are swelling in the hedgerows. It’s a time when my stride starts to lengthen and my shoulders go back a little. The darkness of winter is starting to lift. Everything is trembling on the brink of the explosion of life that is spring”

This a a rewrite of an older poem, which I couldn’t get right, so it’s a new beginning and it references Spring and springs.