Crocus
Did you ever have one of those moments, inspired by some silly little thing-- the sun through a tree, the sound of a kickball on pavement, rain in the summertime-- in which everything falls into place?

I was there, just now, outside in the sun between class and work, when my heart crystallized and burst into a thousand shards of shining joy. For a moment, just a moment (because these things, really, are always moments between the past and the future, when everything freezes), I was proud of who I am, proud to be where I am, free of everything but watching and smiling and living.

And, in this moment, I felt an Echo of another time open inside me like a flower. It was the smell of spring, the sadness of winter and the remebrance of love. It freed itself with a noise like the wings of a bird, and left through an open window in my soul.