For the Class of ‘24

This morning
I was ambushed by green
             – vibrant, vital, verde –
as if the trees resurrected overnight.
Except –
all through the long winter,
the brisk months of March and April,
deep beneath the surface,
quietly, quietly,
the trees did their work:
        Sap crawled up capillaries
                Tiny buds sprung
                                            and sprouted
until the time was right
and today,
the trees exploded
with hope and promise
 
Similarly
today you ambushed me
            –  vibrant, vital, vast –
I look up to you
while I still hold you in my heart as
  the little boy
            with chalk in my driveway
  the wisp of a girl
            covered in mud from head to toe
  the sassy middle schooler
  the shy freshman

But silently, silently
deep beneath the surface,
you were becoming
and just like that –
here we are
bursting with hope and excitement
 
And just like that,
Silently
            Slowly
                        Beneath the surface
God is working
            until the time is right
to ambush you
with hope and a future.
 
Amanda Smith 2024