Seasonal Tenant

Winter signed the eviction notice

In a language the tiles already understood

Its quiet weight leaning into

The dusty corners of the apartment

Spring’s vines rehearse their grip

Around the polyester furniture

As warmth learns the shape of the doorway

The air remembering what it held

Winter leaves behind a freedom 

that doesn’t ask for permission

The cold knew exactly which chair was mine

and kept every promise of rent

Bluebirds loiter at the windowsills

And tulips interrupt the dry soil

Spring signs its name over the lease

While winter practices how to be a ghost

I did not prepare for

Winter’s abrupt resignation

From every obedient crack and curtain

The warmth does not ask if I am ready

Only if I am willing

Some seasons leave before

We understand why they stayed