A Poem for World Poetry Day 2016

It's no longer good enough just to be a day, one of the 365, getting out of bed, shining yourself up a bit to meet the masses - no, you have to be World Something-or-other Day too.  It's this celebrity culture, innit.

March 21st is the Kim Kardashian of days - first day of spring, Equinox, World Downs Syndrome Awareness Day, World Poetry Day. Here's a poem in honour of attribute 4 that has attributes 1 and 2 covered.  

Tipping the Balance

Let winter steal this March on spring

falling backwards into snowlight, 

its blinding victory. 

It’s not about green and yellow,

the glow of celandines or whether

miserly beeches are still pocketing their coppers

We’ll measure the turning year in light,

throw the wolf and lion into the balance,

let afternoons trickle into evening,

evening out the hours of dark

and as night comes

hurtling into morning,

wake to the beating of wings

warm as migratory kisses

©Deborah Harvey 2014

'Tipping the Balance' is from my 2014 collection, Map Reading for Beginners, which is available from Indigo Dreams Publishing, good bookshops everywhere, and Amazon if you must. 

My new poetry collection, Breadcrumbs, will be published in the next few weeks.