Absent Without Leave

Posted byJJJ Interactive BooksPosted inPoemTags:, , , , ,

Long awaited spring 
Certainly took its time
Before granting us its presence
Nicely warming our bones
Frozen by winter
A welcome visitor
Charming in its mild manners 
Only to promptly exit
Without saying goodbye 
Leaving us to wither  
In summer-like heat
Will spring return?
Offer its apologies  
Admit to leaving too soon
Certainly this desired guest will not  
Remain AWOL the season long

W3 Prompt #157: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Di, prompts us to write a 16 line free-verse poem on the theme of seasonal change. “The first word of line one must also be the final word of line sixteen.”

Featured image generated by Microsoft AI and modified by author.

Published by JJJ Interactive Books

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22 thoughts on “Absent Without Leave”

  7. I didn’t expect to laugh, but this one got me. I might even confess to a giggle. I like the way it treats spring not as a grand poetic force but as a fickle guest — charming, tardy, and ultimately unreliable. The poem reads like someone talking to the Weather while standing in too-warm boots, coat in hand, baffled: “I thought we were going somewhere crisply adventurous, and now you’re saying, no, no, summer frock and sandals time”. No airs, no overwriting — just the truth wrapped in a shrug and a raised eyebrow. That last line? Felt like it was aimed at weather forecasters and the universe. All of whom have AWOL tendencies.

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  8. Jennifer I love the personification of Spring – she is a rude visitor! As you point out she’s changeable and unpredictable and often ignores the niceties that politeness demands…

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