cold wind blowing
colder than tasting frozen-crunchy
tart strawberries

icy snow blasting
against delicate yellow star-shaped flowers
blooming too soon on a hill

a few warm days
winter has abated
reappearing today with frigid temperatures
deep drifts and icicle cascades
bushes of tiny golden forsythia
blooming too early in snow

Hazel Ann Lee is a Black American author of published works on science fiction and fantasy, education and science. Her book of original science poems and science fiction short stories is titled The Astronaut’s Window: Collection of Poems and Short Stories Celebrating Nature. Her poetry has appeared in 50-Word Stories, Star*Line, Utopia, and Frost Zone Zine. Her short story was also published in Frost Zone Zine.