By Sharlee Mullins Glenn
Sodden leaves besmear
the patchy snow.
The few birds that
braved the winter
chirp forlornly in
boney branches to
the dirge-like drip
of melting slush.
A brooding sun sulks
behind leaden clouds,
lugubrious and glum.
and then—
The sky splits.
A shard of blue,
sharp as joy,
pierces the gloom.
Sunlight strikes the snow
igniting diamonds—
and the world inhales.
Sharlee Mullins Glenn has published poetry, essays, short stories, fiction, and criticism in The Southern Literary Journal, Women's Studies, Wayfare, Segullah, the New York Times, and more. She is also an award-winning author of children's books. Her most recent work is an epic poem, Brighter and Brighter until the Perfect Day, published by BCC Press (2025).