First Day of Spring

Leaves that choked my every drain
When soddened by the Winter rain
Now move crisply in April air
To dance around me everywhere.
I sit and calculate the cost
Of plaster cracks from bitter frost,
The tired paint that flakes and peels
Mildew stains on window seals.
Weeds have grown through every crack
A fence lies with a broken back
Some pointing loosens with a touch
My bench awaits the varnish brush
Washing flutters in the breeze
As sparrows cling to swaying trees.
Summer chairs attacked by mould
Stay in shadows, feeling cold
The cat explores and chews the grass
A child’s new football smashes glass
Neighbours dig and strimmers hum
The world awakes now Spring has come.