‘The earth tries to begin again’ by Diva

I decorate my room with my favourite things,
photos of families and friends, my sketches and puzzles,
trinkets from my New York trip last winter.
Lilies above the fireplace.

Springtime has come and now the sun decorates my room
— my biggest decoration yet. The sun bathes me at my desk,
it’s too warm sometimes.

The sun doesn’t leave until past seven,
and at night time I don’t sleep so good when the air is awkward.
I wake up with an ache and to chirping birds and sunbeams.
Their songs insist I forgive.

At noon I make a good lunch
and enjoy it under the big tree in the backyard.
There’s a reservoir nearby that always calls me for a walk.
I trust the sun to warm me up, but I have been tricked!
The wind is stronger than the illusion of warmth.
Is it too late to buy a new coat?

The sun is afraid to commit, the warmth is patchy.
The cold is prolonged on Saturdays, and the temperatures hesitant.
In spring the earth tries hard to begin again.
Old habits die hard like persistent winter rains in April.
The breeze is sharp, but it carries off what we can no longer bear.

It is not easy even for nature to start again,
do not be so hard on yourself.
I love Spring and beginnings,
and other seasons, the becoming and the ends too.

In springtime I can start again. I cook and enjoy my lunch.
I call my family at noon. The love expands.
God does not create without beauty and intention.
We are in and part of it all.

About The Author

Diva is an Indonesian writer exploring memory, belonging, and the emotional textures of landscape, shaped by a childhood across the rainforests, deserts, mountains, and coasts. Now based in London, newly encountering the shifting seasons, especially winter and spring, has transformed her sense of time, renewal, and change. Through poetry and prose, Diva traces how nature, memory, and migration quietly shape one another.

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Muslim Women For regularly publishes submissions to the blog. We encourage submissions from community members. To learn more, visit our submission criteria page.  The views and opinions expressed in these posts do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the organization, ‘Muslim Women For.'