Poem -Two Springs

he wonders will the telephone ever ring again it has been a long quiet winter with not enough work

bank accounts dwindle wife needs grocery money daughter a new sweater mortgage electricity equipment loans payroll taxes insurances all must be paid

his workers need to earn income to support their own families is the economy improving enough will the telephone ring with clients this year

generations earlier a man sees his tribe’s stored berries, nuts, dried meats and fish reduced then rationed he stands on a knoll looking to the horizon hoping for signs that buffalo will return

will there be meat to nourish his people or will the great spirit send the herds to other grazing grounds this year will there be a desperate hunt fueled by hunger he paces nervously

As the season of cold wanes the days get noticeably longer rain and warming soil awaken hibernating seeds grass turns gray hills green multiple days of sun and blue skies stir the earth from its long cold sleep one man hears the telephone ring the other thundering hooves in the distance