we keep standing

it was a long winter

but we stayed warm

bundled like babies

nervous and pale 

still smiling though, 

leaving the oven open 

and the heater on high

the apartment window

is cluttered with plants 

and the thin windows

let in the sirens, the fights 

and the laughter outside of missie b’s

lull us to sleep 

i see the traffic slow

and pick up before morning 

underneath a billboard 

that i never want to see again 

the streets are lined with hardwoods 

walnuts on one side, 

sycamores on the other

maples and pines

we walk in the morning

on the frosty ground 

we watch it change 

the dirt gets darker

the grass starts growing 

clover and violets emerge 

daffodils open up

the sun begins to feel warm

it’s easier to wake up

it’s easier to laugh

and i don’t know 

how many nights we didn’t sleep 

or how many strange dreams

and slow mornings we had

but we keep on living 

and i don’t know 

how many people 

see us swordfight on the sidewalk

spinning around, spilling coffee

or running to the car

with dirty clothes 

and muddy boots

& leftover lunches

it was a long winter, but it really is spring 

the streets are lined with new blooms

marked with potholes 

blocked off and scraped up 

repave and rewrite 

scrap everything to pave a new path, 

we’re on the move, with new dreams

ready for the risk, leaping into the void

thirsty for a new challenge

with pockets full 

of questions and quarters

eyes lit with excitement, 

and steady with hope

i don’t know how many babies laugh, 

when they see spring for the first time 

but we keep on laughing 

i don’t know how many flowers 

shot up overnight, fighting for the sun

but we keep on fighting

i don’t know how many sycamores

stand in kansas city 

but we keep on standing