A Poem for the Spring Equinox: JESS VICE

A Poem for the Spring Equinox: JESS VICE

Vernus

Equinox

Today most especially

we hover in the balance.

Day meets dark in

equal parts,

but we –

we are tipping in the light.

2. Winter’s End

Out of a season

of pruning, pause, prudence,

of waiting waiting waiting,

we emerge:

bony, ashen creatures

lapping at dregs

weary of cold

hungry for light,

wringing gray flake from our creaking limbs.

3. Below

I want to plunge deep roots

putting out blind tendrils that grope for more

to entwine and bind –

with you –

together holding our dear Earth.

We will weave her a shining net,

gold in the broken places.

4. Above

I want to spread my fingers into the sun

to cup it into the pale curved leaf of my body

swallow down the liquid light

course it through my secret channels

and greedily nourish each twining limb.

Draw the ancient promise deep

into my tree heart.

The light is coming.

Jess Vice, written on 21 March 2020.

Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on Monday 20 March 2023 at 17:24 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) in North America. It is also called March Equinox or Vernal Equinox. Equinox means ‘equal night’ – when the duration of the night equals the duration of the day (in hours and minutes) across most of the planet. From 20 March the amount of daylight increases until the Summer Solstice in June, marking the longest day.