Cold Spell in May

This record cold, dipping down from its Arctic home,

Humbles me and my puny attempts
To calendar the moving universe.

This cold spell in May tells me: you are not in control.

Seasons refuse to be strictly charted,

There is shifting behind the scenes which you cannot see.

Your clocks and schedules are in vain.

Dakota snow will melt.

Rivers will rise. 

Some banks will overflow.

Breathe deeply and accept:

You are not in control.

--May 4, 2013