A different spring

By Karen Reid

Oh, can we find ourselves the way
To deliver us from fright
From loneliness, despair,
And endless winter night
To hear bright peals of laughter
A child’s cries of delight.

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I could reach out and touch it
So close, and yet so far…
It was only a few weeks ago
Makes it seem more bizarre…
Our normal life so precious ---
And now, look where we are.

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Chorus:
Brighter days, better news
How long must we wait?
A different Spring, a different Spring,
When will that be our fate?

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All around us flowers are blooming
And trees burst into leaf.
While outwardly it’s springtime
Inside but leaden grief.

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This virus knows no difference
Whether you are poor or rich,
Homeless or on the golf course
It cares not which is which.

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This is not a normal Spring
A shadow on it lies
An enemy walks among us
That’s primed to terrorize.
Smaller than a tiny speck
Yet each moment someone dies.

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You look on every stranger
Hidden behind their mask
Please tell me, are you friend or foe?
Why do you need to ask?
You look upon your neighbor
Like they were just a thug,
One can never quite be sure
Will they transmit the bug?

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Chorus: 
Brighter days, better news
How long must we wait?
A different Spring, a different Spring,
When will that be our fate?

​

I know I’m only dreaming
Dreaming of the ways
We could all be together again
As in the “good old days”.
Will there ever be again
Dances, parties, weddings,
Picnics in the park,
Quiet meals in restaurants
Before the endless dark.

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When will Springtime come again
And this time the real spring,
When we can rejoice in flowers
And hearing songbirds sing?

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And when will Springtime come again?
The Spring we’d come to know
Rebirth of hope, of greenery,
When we’re all free to go
To concerts, plays and gatherings,
Reunions of old friends.
Or are these gone forever
If this virus never ends?

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Chorus:

Cast off the bonds of quarantine
In every town and state.
How long has it been
A different scene, a trace of green,
How long must we wait?

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So hunker down and cook your meals,
Have meetings using Zoom,
Try not to think how many times
You’ve crossed your living room.
Go sew and read, and tablet watch
Play board games with your kids,
Don’t ever think of trying out
What distancing forbids.

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And yet I still am dreaming
Am dreaming of the day
When we can finally STOP this thing
Somehow, must find the way…

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I opened the door this morning
Let a ray of sunshine in.
Perhaps, perhaps a different Spring
Perhaps it can begin.
With brighter days, and better news,
We wait… we play our parts.
Is there yet a trace of green
Still green, lodged in our hearts?

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Chorus:
Brighter days, better news
How long must we wait?
A different Spring, a different Spring,
When will that be our fate?

​

Cast off the bonds of quarantine
In every town and state.
How long has it been
A different scene, a trace of green,
How long must we wait?