Has Spring Sprung

Can't seem to get off to sleep tonight, thoughts buzzing around my old head, It's dark and quiet, the cat has gone out and the street lights have gone out too, The odd car passes by maybe coming home from friends or a night on the town, Could be on the way back from a restaurant a Chinese, or picking up family? Looking at the calender I see we are getting into mid March and days are longer, Could it be that the winter has lost its sharp teeth and the might of frosts gone, A thousand welcomes to Spring but it cannot bring back youth or thicken my hair, Or enable us to offer the first gathered violets to dear souls in their heavens. The fowled of the farm yard lay, the pheasants crow in the copse the ring dove coos, The linnet and the gold finch sing while man looks to fences and drains and water levels, Next is ploughing and sowing, pruning and planting and talking of good years gone, Spring stirs all with her mighty influence from the depths of the soil and heart. So spring is with us and she will throw off one dark and gloomy coat after another, And spring will chase away winter with his hardly wrinkled face and keen eye for beauty, It is march rough yet pleasant, vigorous and strong with hope and strength and lovely voice, His gales will come rushing and sounding over forest and lea and shake nature wide awake. The tacamahac shows off its long furry green catkins, the mezereon its clustered blossoms, Then the splendid red China rose unfolds itself to the fresh air, and green pastures return, Coltsfoot and cardamine embellish old fallows and the star of Bethlehem gleams in the woods, Crocus spreads around like a purple flood over the old established meadows, spring is sprung.