When the apple blossoms and lilacs return
and their sweetness makes an alley of scent
you must follow to reach me
I will be waiting for you in the sanctum
where once we touched hands
across a golden altar

When crops bend heavy
and insects hum
as harvesters creep
through sunburnt fields
you must bring me a sacrifice
in the cornucopia
of your heart

When leaves redden and fires gleam
like fox eyes on the hills
and the world crouches
in its burrow to sleep away
the promise of cold
you will stand on the steps
of my neglected palace
your arms heaped with gifts

At last when storms sweep from the north
and ice rimes every twig and pane
you must offer your body
as my chosen vessel
to ring the sun back to its height
and keep the night at bay

[Jennifer Crow’s poems have appeared in numerous print and electronic venues over the past 25 years. She’s currently working on her third poetry collection. The curious can catch up with Jennifer and learn more about her work on Twitter, where she goes by @writerjencrow.]