Early May

A cardinal sat on the fence and
I measured your height with blue chalk
outside, the golden yellow sun
as you collected pebbles

I tried to write
while you pulled out your pink baby pool.
This is the only spring when you will be two.
The green grass keeps on growing, and,
after a long, dark winter
the air smells of oranges and lilacs.
I open the deck umbrella,
and a bee flies out.

–Julie Foster

Julie Foster (maiden name "Canaris") is a poet and fiction writer from Long Island, New York who has been teaching 10th and 12th grade English for the past 12 years. Originally trained in classical piano, she switched majors in college to focus on theatre and creative writing. She is a proud second generation Greek/Cypriot American who likes to infuse her culture, music, rhythm, color, and food in her works. She has been recently published in The Lyric Magazine. She wrote "Early May" when her oldest child was two, and two years after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on her home. Julie is honored to be published by The Columbia Review.