The smell of thawing pine tree detritus,
soggy from melting snow, perfumes the air
rogue streams of snowmelt spill across granite,
collect in pools, and yield blooms from flowers;
snowplants, leopard lilies, lupine, blue dicks
released from their protective snow cover
so too does her heart emerge from slumber’s
healing hibernation after hardship.
The warm sunlight begets new life, new love
her heart has aroused like this wilderness
free again to explore with wanderlust.
Vertical cliffs of granite blush under
the gaze of the setting sun where the lovers
meet and kiss as sunset turns to dusk.