For Posery at dVerse and Earthweal: Finding Hope
Haibun: The Daffodils on the Edge of the Woods
“She turned to the sunlight And shook her yellow head, And whispered to her neighbor: “Winter is dead.”
― A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young
We bought our house and moved in in October. We planted daffodils all around the house. In the spring they burst into bloom and trumpeted spring. I noticed across the road, a bunch of wild daffodils, growing on their own. They splayed their greenness, displayed their golden heads among the dead leaves and bare trees. They became my favorite clump of daffodils and I looked forward to them every year. This year, they are growing, blooming. I saw them as I drove past on the narrow road by our house. I stopped and admired them. I began to cry to as I looked at them – the clump of a half-dozen blooms. I looked up at the spring blue sky with mackerel clouds. As much as I missed Brad, there was hope there. The sky would be blue, the daffodils would bloom, the birds would sing in the trees. There are moments caught between heart-beats, between tears and smiles. I wiped my eyes and bent down and kissed the blooms. Hope, I whispered. Hope.
trumpets of gold
proclaim spring –
proclaim life
kanzen sakura 
Feb 17, 2020 @ 18:30:28
I am so moved by this. Beautiful
Feb 17, 2020 @ 18:41:13
Such a moving tale, so tender.
Feb 17, 2020 @ 18:56:34
These remembrance poems of yours are fantastic and cathartic. This one really touched me.
Feb 17, 2020 @ 19:01:50
Though there is sadness, I like the hope I feel in this. Nicely done.
Pat
Feb 17, 2020 @ 20:02:03
oh yes the daffodils are golden trumpets, that was pretty amazing to me. Hope, some days we need just a spoonful more, so thank you for writing this.
Feb 17, 2020 @ 20:03:50
Yeppers. Sometimes we need some hope.
Get Outlook for Android
________________________________
Feb 17, 2020 @ 20:59:01
I love this so much, Toni. It is lovely, and touches my heart. Those brave little daffs, your courage in being able to see the beauty of spring coming in the midst of grieving…….what a mixture this life is, of beauty and sorrow, love and hope. It is all such a glorious ride, more than we know when we are young. I am so grateful for it all. I had daffs around the base of a huge maple tree by the little trailer that was my last home-of-my-own. How I loved them popping up every year. Sigh. I am so happy you linked this at earthweal. We need as much hope as we can muster, kiddo. Thanks for linking this, and for kissing the daffs!
Feb 17, 2020 @ 21:17:45
Thank you for giving the prompt. We had tons of daffodils around our house when I was growing up. They were always the symbol of spring and resurrection for me. I miss Brad so very much but I have the daffodils to love.
Get Outlook for Android
________________________________
Feb 17, 2020 @ 21:40:54
Think of them as a spring bouquet from Brad!
Feb 17, 2020 @ 22:14:18
That is sweet
Get Outlook for Android
________________________________
Feb 18, 2020 @ 01:50:46
Beautiful, beautiful–linking what is cultivated and what is wild, finding the moments of joy between the sorrows.
Feb 18, 2020 @ 02:31:40
We moved into our house in October, twenty years ago! But the daffodils were already there, a lovely surprise when spring came around. They are indeed flowers of hope, so noticeably glowing yellow, and the ones in your garden are a reminder of the things you and Brad did together. A touching piece, Toni.
Feb 18, 2020 @ 05:28:25
The world turns, life goes on, we either embrace that fact or let it embitter us. You have taken the right path, I think.
Feb 18, 2020 @ 05:49:24
I love that quote!
Feb 18, 2020 @ 06:24:23
The morning after my younger brother died of a heart attack at age 44, I drove down to my mother’s house to be with her. While I held her as she cried inconsolably, I noticed a tabebuia tree across the street in full bloom — it was mid-April — and it seemed obscenely beautiful to me. Grief and life are intimately paired in bittersweet glory. Thanks for bringing this moment of hope to earthweal. Keep singing it.
Feb 18, 2020 @ 10:05:47
Beautiful Toni- and yes, there is always hope.
Feb 18, 2020 @ 15:25:16
The fact that the bloom is there, that the sky is blue again can console you, and I think it will… but the fact that it’s the same even without your husband is also very strange. Wonderful haibun
Feb 19, 2020 @ 16:53:39
How absolutely beautiful! Nature tells us the truth, I think. Yes, there is death / yes, life renews.
Feb 20, 2020 @ 11:52:58
I think Brad’s spirit will forever bloom within those daffodils and they will bring you hope and peace and gentle tears of remembrance each spring. Thinking of you, Toni.