First Warm Breath

The sun broke through the clouds,

a heavy heat pushing through cold

like a fist through curtains.

The cracked sidewalk steamed,

puddles shrinking with quicksilver edges,

a scent of earth, wet and rough,

gritty under bare hands.

The air clung thick,

a breath held too long,

sweet with the promise of green

and tired of winter's gray grip.

I stood still,

letting warmth crawl up my arms,

uneasy

but alive.