the color of azaleas
paints a sea of intense pink
a signature purplish pink
that is satiatingly splattered
against a backdrop of
nascent luminescence
against the initial greens
of the coming spring

this symphony of shades
is frequently framed by
the haggard austere reverence
of mossy mobile live oaks
that drape city streets
with a quiet and subtle
dignity and so eloquently
symbolize the timeless
character and ageless beauty
of an old city seeking new birth

the azalea trail runs aimlessly
through midtown mobile
winding through countless
picturesque old neighborhoods
linking stunningly stately mansions
with humbler nearby cottages
it curves in endless arrhythmic lines
of semiotic sensuousness exquisitely
exhibited in a haphazard hedge of
harmonious hieroglyphics bringing
renewal and repeated resurrection
and when easter comes early
the view from my front porch swing
explodes with sensual significations

yet the colorful azaleas
fleeting and ephemeral
mere momentary markers of
dying march quickly wither
to trodden mottled nothingness
yet are also a splendid signifier
of still emerging spring
a splash of celebrated sublimity
however brief bringing
sufficient sustenance and
spiritual restoration for
those subsequent and more
mundane months until march
returns and we find regeneration
in next spring’s sea of purplish pink
underneath the languid live oaks