No Spring by Joan Currie

For fifteen months,
hours upon hours,
I have labored to finish
a needlepoint called Summer.

Its gloomy palette
of beiges, muted pastels,
and a black background

turned out to foretell
a summer that wasn’t
what it ought to have been.

My fault, in part.

I should have chosen
a lovely azul blue wool
for the sky.

Instead, I felt compelled
to follow the pattern,
matching Summer
to the completed canvases
of Autumn and Winter.

Duty over joy!

Now, struggling to finish
the last few stitches,
I vow there will be
no Spring!