Waking to the scent of Magnolias.
In the early morning hours, the large buds
on the tree outside open
and fill my bedroom with a powerful sweetness.
They are blooming late this year.
Sometimes they open as early as February.
My tree is the kind that grows in the south –
where the buds literally sweat open and drip their sweetness
into the grass, or in your hair or slick your skin.
I wake, looking into the branches.
The morning also brings a visit from a black squirrel.
I often shoo him away as he digs into my pots
to bury his treasures while uprooting my plants.
But this morning he just sits, looking drunk with the
scent of Magnolias. Today we will just let each other be.
And revel in the gift the morning brings.