does cycle start with autumn
the shedding of the trees
the dark 'n naked columns
bereft of nature's leaves?

does she start the year
depressing and of drear
robbing air of cheer
staining cheek with tear?

or does it start with winter
with biting freezing cold
like a naked sprinter
plunged in icy fold

is he the start of cycle
as men and boys go idol
the sleep of all things vital
in wait for life's revival?

or does it start in spring
with pink and purple blossom
the yellow daffodil
from mama earth's *****

does spring commence the year
with laughter and loud cheer
its promise ringing clear
of goodness very near?

or does the year with summer start
with boiling sun and ripening fruit
the filling of the apple-cart
the carrot and the radish-root?

tell me now, is it summer
that starts the sprint as a runner
that with loud shot from the gunner
blurs legs as wings of hummer?

indeed, does day with night begin
with all things dark and quiet,
to clear the air, to usher in
a new day's life and riot?

or does the night end the day
as matters draw to close
the sleep of night to melt away
all stress through sweet repose?

i ask in all sincerity
don't mean to be captious
i seek wisdom and clarity
where is the point of axis?

can you point to time
in day or in year a date
that marks the start or prime?
or is beginning to rejuvenate?

is in truth the year and day
a cycle everlasting
there be no start, or end decay?
this is what i'm asking

methinks the year with spring doth start
the genesis of all things
and like the spring, doth daylight mark
life's birth on ancient wings

his loving warmth enveloped my hand
his strong old veins soft to the touch
now that warmth is covered by sand
ephemeral memory, childhood crutch