The landscape outside is dull, leafless and gray, so typical of the Midwest winter.

The tree that had given us a golden carpet welcome when we moved in is now bereft of its adornments. It stands outside our doorstep, as a lone sentinel heralding the change of seasons.

Mounds of snow still decorate the kerb, unwilling to melt and complementing the dreary landscape perfectly.

The chill in the air is nippy, cutting through the bones.

The grass is brown, peeking out of its white covers only when the snow deigns to melt.

The bunnies, the chipmunks and the birds are all hibernating.

The Sun, unable to defy the laws of geophysics, is in hiding, shackled by gray clouds.

I look out of the kitchen window. The darkness outside is all engulfing. An involuntary frown etches on my brow as I heave a deep sigh. Global warming must be a hoax, the mind muses.

Visions of evergreen foliage and azure blue skies flit across my mind’s eye.

I look at my friend, the tree and it stares back at me. My eyes move upwards, beyond its (now gone) canopy. And there I catch a faint glimpse of colour – of a light pink bordered by the indigo blue of the pre-dawn sky, like delicate gossamer fabric. 

And I watch in awe as the blushing pink changes hues.

The sky sheds her shyness and assumes a golden glow, a glow that has been missing for many months now. She is now like a new bride in her wedding finery.

The Sun comes along in his chariot of fire.

And together they play a rhapsody of colour.

Ending twilight, bringing a new dawn.

The birds celebrate, the bees sing and the trees delight.

I feel the rays touch my cheeks, holding out a promise of warmth after months of cold, of renewal and reinvigoration.

Reminding me of the seasons and their rhythms, of Rithubhedam*

That spring always follows winter

That the laws of nature are eternal

Blessed am I to behold this glorious sight!

Blessed am I to be alive!

 

 

 

 

*Rithubhedam – Change of Seasons

PS: I shot these around spring break last week. I have posted the pictures in the same sequence in which they were shot. For more photos and full size images, click here. 



Featured by Sulekha