By Laura Adams — Last Updated: April 9, 2025

Foreword from Marcia: Teacher Laura Adams is well known at Green Lotus for her careful planning of classes, the weaving together of mindfulness meditation, philosophy, breathwork, and asana in a safe space of compassion. A side of Laura you may not know is this: She loves to write, both prose and poetry, which are part of her life’s practices. From time to time, she submits her poetry, an important expression form for her. In this poem, she contemplates the conundrum of spring - a time of joyful celebration, but also a mourning of the past.

Like a lily shaking dew from her pearled petals,
I wipe water from my cheeks—
a resounding yes to
new beginnings

refreshed and
helplessly hopeful
as the days get longer.

Like a lilac singing
her sweet first notes of life,
my bare feet against
earth helps create the symphony

tiptoeing in puddles,
sludging through mud.

My eyes admire the half-formed rainbow—
springtime’s lopsided smile.
and only here.

Like a courageous
bleeding heart
daring on the vine
to bloom openly
and embrace the unknown,
I yearn to capture her
confidence
until I notice

she’s

trembling.

The anticipation of newness
all but distracts me
from winter’s
stuttering end.
It doesn’t want to go.

In reverence, I bow
my head

because the bleeding heart
actually aches,
the rainbow is a frown,

the lilac mourns through song
as much as she celebrates her existence,

the lily shakes
dew from her pearly petals,
but it’s not a resounding yes to
new beginnings.

She is learning to
let winter exit with grace,
knowing she can never
take its place.

Her task is to
create a pathway
forward for us all.

Spring starts while
stumbling
between life and death.

and for an inspiring moment
they share a breath.

Laura is a yoga teacher as well as a freelance writer. Laura received her 200- and 500-hour yoga teacher trainings from Green Lotus Yoga and Healing Center. She teaches several classes a week in a variety of formats at Green Lotus. Her own practice began in 2006 as a way to connect breath to body after dealing with a stress-borne illness.