Awakening

I am hardened by the unrelenting cold
Scorched by winter, moribund with icy calm
Burrs scratch and itch, puncturing the edges
Cold dirt.
Talking drum calls out for me
A drop, a flake, a pinch at a time
By the tip of a root
I become me again.

Untermyer Fountain/Three Dancing Maidens by Walter Schott, French Conservancy Garden, Central Park.