The first official day of spring has brought us other firsts, too: an amber dawn, more likely in autumn than now; Cricket prancing with his first hunting trophy of the season, a giant prairie dog; the harrier, back after an extended absence and also on the hunt.
A new world, indeed.
And not so new, either. There will be other firsts, too, but for the moment, the day is following an eminently predictable path, if perhaps a slightly warmer one that we would normally expect. Morning was beautiful, calm and warm; by midday, the winds had already begun to rise. Now, they have resumed howling and gibbering with all of the feral force more typically present at this time of year.
And yet . . . and yet, something feels different this year. That’s unusual; most years, you can’t tell any difference between the last day of winter and the first day of spring, and in point of fact, the true first day of spring in this place arrives with the first meadowlark’s song, and none has yet put in an appearance. Moreover, we have had days both warmer and more windy already, and the light has been lengthening for a while, so there should be little change. But despite (and perhaps in part because of) all the terrible circumstances beyond our boundaries, there is an inescapable feeling that there is indeed a new world out there now, new-born and rising with with the winds.
It’s a feeling particularly well-suited to today’s featured work, one I chose at the last minute for this day when I saw that the forecast had changed to predict a return of the afternoon winds. [And it was a choice well borne out, it seems, given the fury outside the windows now.] From its description in the Pins Gallery here on the site:
A New World In the Wind Warrior Woman Pin
Winter is the true season of renewal, and there is a new world in the wind now. Wings summons the wind and the shapes and shades of the evergreens through which it blow with this latest entry in his signature series, the Warrior Woman, created in memory of his mother and to honor the courage, strength, and power of women. A flurry of flowering petals sway and dance down her dress, symbols of feminine strength in all weather and season. More blossoms trace the back of the serpent over her right shoulder, a small spirit of prosperity here to accompany the bit of evergreen jade she holds in her right hand. Other spirits who represent renewal in their own way, the Water Birds, take flight around the crescent moon she holds in her left. The pin stands 2.75″ high by 2 inches across at the widest point; the cabochon is 3/16″ across (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; jade
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
It’s clear from the description that Wings created this piece in the middle of winter, a time not generally given much to trickster winds outside the context of a storm. But these are not normal days, and the storms are more absent than not.
And the wind in spring here is a ferocious thing, make no mistake. But despite the dust that now faintly veils the southern slopes with a dirty haze, the rising green is unmistakable, spreading in all directions across the surface of the earth here now. There is no longer enough of it to cover the bare spots that mar the fields, cracked by drought and devoid of topsoil, but it’s something.
After the deadly aridity of the last three years, any green is grounds for hope now.
We mark our new year not by the colonial calendar, but by the solstice; by the same token, we greet spring in all its form whenever it chooses to arrive, irrespective of the equinox. We are still waiting for the meadowlark, so we know that the season has not yet come to stay. The snow in next week’s forecast only confirms the wisdom of that approach.
But there is warmth, 65 degrees of it now; there is sun and there is light; and there is the rising, spreading green. It is a new world rising with the winds, and we are ready to meet it.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
