spring in January
With the onrush of January the first thing I noticed was the green of Bernal Hill. I did a triple take since I wasn’t really trying to pay attention. No need for newnes, I thought, but the hill: it’s green. Wait, what? THAT HILL IS GREEN. Like a cap pulled on for winter, not patchy, not gradual, grass had sprouted all over her top and now the hill is green. Ok, I thought. Well: that’s different.
On my way back from work, I watched a black phoebe at the bus stop. A flash of white chest, semi-transparent wings redirecting the sunlight, then back to perch on the bench. Fly, catch a fly, then wait for a moment, two, three. The rhythm of the task keeps my eyes open.
I’ve also been watching the way the pigeons move through the air. Often, they are close enough that I can make out details, just far enough away that they seem to be in different air than that which touches my face. When navigating the space between buildings, they form little v’s with wings open at what seems like too acute an angle and round bellies hanging below. They wobble a little back and forth while moving along in groups like props on strings. On longer journeys, they flap their wings and fly fast.
The first magnolia to catch my attention was on the corner of Precita Park. With its bare branches, the flowers stand out. It was new years day and we were walking to my car on tired feet, the first few flowers bursting in the sunshine. Then I started seeing the bright, velvety white white buds tucked among the leaves in the southern magnolias, too. Even at night, I will spot the glow of a lone flower lurking up high in the trees. And now the tree at the park’s corner has fully unfurled, beginning to drop a dusting of petals to the ground.
The days have been getting longer, minute by minute, but enough that I am starting to notice. I guess it makes sense that the flowers and the grass are bursting out of hiding with just a little more sun. Just as the idea of long nights and bright short days had begun to sink in, its time to begin the spiral out again.