I feel the tension of a familiar
clothespin at the base of my nose.
From the edge of my hair
to the bottoms of my cheekbones,
my head seems packed with wool

But with cool air slipping onto my arms
through our gloriously open window,
I exult that winter is finally dead
despite the discomfort in my head
that comes with changing weather

What are aching sinuses,
compared with spring breezes?
The dusty screen also lets in
chattering bird-song, lively and joyful noise
far outweighing painful distractions

So often we take the bad, grudgingly
accepting our world’s imperfection -
and forget that the bad is only
a side effect of a stronger good

Sweat because you feel the sun
Suffer because you can feel
Hurt yourself because you’re
free to do so…But don’t
hate spring because of a stuffy nose