May is a blessing, a benediction, a rhythmic string of sacred prayers.

May robin, cardinal and wren sing the dawn sky pink and sweet.

May the warmth of sun nourish all that grows.

May hummingbird carry the laughter of one thousand flowers everywhere he goes.

May fox kits emerge from their dens, plump and playful. May the bluebirds hatch, the bluestar bloom, the bullfrogs blast their jug-o-rums.

Let the passion vines blossom with whimsy. Let the wild indigo paint the open woods. Let the last of the dainty bluebells ring out.

Let there be rainfall. Let titmouse bathe in shallow pools of water. Let the earthworms feast on spoiled fruit.

Let go of last season’s sorrow. Let this new day surprise you. Let what is here be enough.

The woody scent of yarrow. The hum of bees. Green leaves in golden light.

Breathe in the bouquet of microbes and wild strawberry. Breathe it out. Now, breathe it in again.

Behold the majesty of magnolia, the bliss of cartwheels, the grace of speckled fawn in soft grass.

May the whippoorwill return, and when he does, may every wild thing taste the sweetness of its own name, chanted one hundred times over.

May the wind keep the secret of each dandelion. May the garden feed body and soul. And, above all, may spring be a hymn of thanks for and from this fertile earth.