The wind wields the branches
Like a slavemaster's whip,
Barely-bud leaves
The venomous tip

Scoliosis-licked flowers
Bend, twist, and curve
Their sedative fragrance
Delight to the nerves

The sky is all washed
In orange and blue
This corrosive rain
Has weathered me, too,

But the birds keep on singing
The gardens still grow
Spring is so pretty
When the rain turns to snow.