Goodbye to King Winter

 And look where a rosier beam hath cleft

The damp and fragrant-smelling earth,

A handful of snow-drops peeping forth;

As if King Winter had dropped and left--

Stumbling and tripping the steep hills down--

Had clutched his robe and dropped his crown:

Or as if the very snow had power,

Out of itself to fashion a flower;

So vase-like, slender, and exquisite,

Like an alabaster lamp alit,--

from 'Snowdrops' by Kate Seymour Maclean

 

Snowdrops are flowering again in my garden. They've endured months of darkness and emerged  fresh and new into the light, their resilience and cheerfulness offering a beacon of hope. Spring and better times are just around the corner.

Today I tried, unsuccessfully, to buy a new pack of disposable facemasks. Yet it seems that from next Thursday they will no longer be mandatory in public places. In addition, it was announced today that Covid passports will be dropped for large events and people will no longer be advised to work from home. Restrictions are gradually being lifted and, while we still need to remain careful and cautious, life is getting back to some normality.

Writing prompts:

• I know some people have reservations about the lifting of Covid restrictions. Explore your feelings in your writing.
• If you welcome this new-found freedom, what are you most looking forward to? Write about it.
• If you remain cautious and worried, explore your anxieties in your writing.
• Write about any signs of Spring you have seen.