Slice of Life: Spring Symphony 9 of 31

It's day nine of the March Slice of Life Challenge.  31 days of writing.   Thanks to the amazing Two Writing Teachers team for all of their support in this event.  

I went out early this morning to enjoy the sunshine and warmer temperatures.  The push and pull between winter and spring was obvious.  The ducks, back in their nesting places, were dealing with the ice still covering the ponds.  The confused seagulls filled the parking lots once again.  The irises pushed up among the decaying leaves of fall were not far from the lingering snow near the trees.  The neighbors snow fence still stood ready though the patio furniture was displayed at the store.  Reese's Eggs fill the shelves.  Surely Spring is near.  

Last year during Slice of Life I wrote, Have You Seen Her? after a beautiful surprise snow covered the ground.  This year, I'm a bit done with snow and am hoping for spring so I wrote this:

Spring Symphony

The concert was in days and everyone was worried.  Would Spring arrive on time?  Her timing was never exact.  Sometimes she was early and other times she was incredibly late.  The orchestra had been practicing for days in preparation of her arrival.  Spring was an amazing conductor.  She could make sun, wind, and rain play in perfect harmony.  Without spring they never sounded quite as new, quite as fresh.

To complicate matters, Winter just would not stay away.  He too was a smart conductor, but he had ice in his veins.  He always brought snow with him to sing along with the orchestra.  Though Snow was beautiful, she was cold and heartless.  Her breathy words seemed to take over instead of floating in harmony with the music.  For some reason, when she was around wind blew too hard, sun could hardly get warmed up, and rain disappeared all together.  Snow's presence seemed to blanket any room she entered, and though others were awed by her sparkle, she made it hard to breathe.

The rumor of Spring's upcoming concert was spreading far and wide.  The geese flew in to hear her beautiful music.  The daffodils put on their green and peered out to see if she was coming; saving their golden gowns for her arrival.  The rabbits and squirrels raced around to get ready.  Even the trees began to stand a little taller listening for signs she was near.  They too were ready to exchange their drab brown suits for those of leafy green.

Despite the rumors, the orchestra was getting nervous.  They hadn't had a strong practice.  It seemed every time they were together someone was having an off day.  Sometimes wind blew too hard.  Other days, rain could not warm up and made click click sounds instead of its gentle soothing music.  Sun was hard to keep motivated.  Some days she would hide behind the clouds, hoping to fade into the background.  Other days, she would disappear all together.  She needed Spring for strength.

It was the day of the concert and Spring was scheduled to arrive, but no one had heard from Spring.  She hadn't been to any of the earlier practices.  Snow kept showing up and Winter seemed to want to stay.  He enjoyed his time with the orchestra.  The concert would begin soon, and the audience sat on the edge of their seats in anticipation of Spring.  They enjoyed Winter's music at the start of his season, but they soon grew weary of its repetition.  Spring had a way of making everything exciting and novel.

It was time for the concert to begin, but the musicians were restless.  They buzzed among themselves wondering if Spring would make it on time this year.  Soon they settled down and an uncomfortable silence filled the auditorium.  Minutes seemed like hours as everyone waited.  The audience began to notice the cool air around them beginning to warm.  It felt good as it enveloped them, touching their skin with hope.  Everyone looked at one another knowing Spring had to be near.  They knew the signs.

Suddenly a murmur began in the front of the auditorium.   The murmur rippled to the back of the room and grew louder.  Soon they saw her walking toward her platform.  The crowd was relieved and rose in applause as she entered.  She was stunning in her suit of emerald green; her hair the color of daffodils glimmered.  Her eyes of blue glistened like the sky.  She looked confident as she smiled at the audience and motioned for them to be seated.

A comforting silence filled the room as Winter handed her the baton and exited with Snow at his side.  The room, filled with many, was too warm for them to stay.  Spring smiled at the audience and then turned to greet the orchestra.  She looked confidently at Sun who began to play.  The warmth of her piano created a tempo for others to follow.  Soon wind gently joined in harmony, and rain came in as needed to bring life to the music.  The gentle chirping of the birds could soon be heard by all.  The audience was motionless as the music moved through them.  They had missed the sounds of Spring's orchestra.

The music continued to move through them.  The audience moved between loud applause and appreciative silence.  It wasn't long until Spring began to weave her magic.  The hummingbirds began to dance around the stage.  The frogs joined the chorus with their deep tones and the insects added a quiet buzz to the music.  The trees, full of blossoms of white and pink, began to dance moving their limbs back and forth to the rhythms felt by all.

Friend smiled at friend.  Spring had woven her magic once again.  She was a team player.  She didn't realize how beautiful she was nor did she know how much others admired her.  She just humbly did what she loved.  Breathing life into all those around her.  Bringing joy and hope to the hearts of all.

© Cathy L. Mere