Tree flowers are blooming! Actually I’m not excited: besides the delicate dogwoods the trees in bloom have flowers that are practically invisible. Oaks, ashes, birch, oh my! They are potent to allergy sufferers. And we can’t win in St. Louis this spring—when it’s not been warm, sunny, and pollenous (is that a word?), we’ve had loads of chill, rain, and mold spores. Mold and pollen have been my nemeses ever since my teen years when I cleaned out the stuffed garage for my mom, and tried to mow a field of weeds. If I’m silly enough to write a poem about allergies, it’s because they’ve been such a big part of my life. What in your life makes you sneeze, so to speak?

Danger lurked
In the cool, damp air.
I walked into it unaware.
There it was
Among faded layers,
Of yellowed newspapers.
It hid in stacks
Of ancient magazines,
Dusting pages in between.
I still couldn’t see it
Even when I started to sneeze
And my breath began to wheeze.
Ever since then
Library books are a lot less fun
Because my nose begins to run.

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com