Spring came early
but it should still be winter here don’t you see
the days are already warm and the sun is strong
winter didn’t last very long

the birds are foraging for insects on the ground
and amongst blossom everywhere
the shrike thrush and swallows are nesting in sheds and car ports
oblivious without a care
but car owners are not amused
while more small creatures emerge looking confused 

the grass should be flat, sparse and short
borne down by the cold and frost
but instead the mower labours through a thick upstanding vital green
and the weeding tools in the growth get lost 

I look out from the verandah in bare feet and T shirt
dismayed at the sight that greets me
I ask myself how did we allow this great hurt?
this quickening of the seasons now so fast it daily grieves me