And if the day let us be lazy
and mostly stay inside and read,
let cold and rain delineate our idleness,
this, too, is cause for gratitude

And when we feel the trees rejoice
at something we could not have given,
to see them make the grateful choice
to sink down roots, to grow, to live

Then maybe gratitude itself has been the gift,
and all these circumstances
combined, conspire to bring it forth within –
this sun-graced ending to the day,
the soaring swoop of unexpected lift.

©Wendy Mulhern
June 19, 2023