Spring in Maine

Dairy queen will open soon

And the ice will melt from the trees

and the streams will rush with life

And dairy queen will open soon

Clocks will jump forward

We will pick ripe strawberries and blueberries

We will buy seedlings full of hope at the farmers market

And dairy queen will open soon

The snow will melt to make way for green grass

The birds will start to sing songs of redemption and rebirth

The days will be longer

Bedtimes will be later

And Dairy Queen will open soon

We will have meaningful debates about the value of the last week of school

About which beach has the best sand

About when we should go to Boston

Longing for the days we will spend sitting in the back of a pickup truck eating ice cream from Dairy Queen

The perpetually grayness will fade into spring colors

Blues, pinks, purples

Easter bunnies and peeps

We will hunt for chocolate eggs

And eat lamb around a big table

And we will say what we are thankful for

And there is no doubt that one of us will say we are thankful that Dairy Queen will open soon.