The Next Season (By Lisa Leslie)

The flowers are
slowly
waking up.
Their petals bloom
unapologetically.

As the gloominess of late winter fades,
a brighter landscape emerges.

My heart is
broken
in several places, but
hope rises,
bringing a promise
that it will piece itself
back together
in time.

My heart is
naked
like the trees
when they shed their leaves
in preparation for a long winter.

There’s no hiding
the shape I’m in.
But then,
deception
is the cause of my current state.

To embrace and allow
vulnerability,
humility, and
raw emotion
to flow from me
freely
is the only way
to begin
growing
and building
stronger roots.

When the cold air
returns
and the trees let their
costumes fall,
I will stand
taller,
and live
fearlessly—
knowing I’ve taken the time to heal,
ready
to take on whatever the next season brings.