Silence Before Springtime

There's silence in the springtime,
Before the birds have flown:
A waiting sunshine silence
That casts off winter's gown.
Before the bees have followed
The course upon the bloom
Before the deer have given
A breath in flowered rooms,
Before the tree has sprouted
Or streams have slapped and run
A silence coats the valleys
Like calm before the storm.
Then comes the burst of raindrops
The flying wings of life
The hymns of little songsters
That stir the melting ice:
The sudden whip of madness
Which comes from mate to mate
The sweetness, goodness, gladness
Of creatures small and great.
The silence, like a whirlwind
Has passed from hand to hand
And lies now in the pasture
Of springtime's promise land.