Tiny buds coat
the hillsides along the turnpike,
a respite from traffic and construction.  
Hidden in alcoves like saints in the church,
splashes of pink hues
brushed across the landscape.  
Soothing portrait at the end of winter’s chill
branches covered with trails of buds
bending in dance steps.  
A performance of Swan Lake
with different poses 
offering a wave drenched in pinks
throughout the Tuscarora Mountain.