Spring and Summer Vs. Fall and Winter - Essay Example

Spring and Summer Vs. Fall and Winter While there are some that can extol the beauty of both Fall and Winter, the cold chill and coming of the darkening days breed nothing but contempt in me. I can understand the esoteric beauty of the fall leaves and the snow, but the hard reality of raking dead foliage into piles and shoveling snow soon dispels it. Spring and Summer are times of rebirth and renewal while Fall and Winter are reminders of the fragility of life and the oncoming season of darkens. While I am certain that there has been much poetry written about the colder seasons, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” as an example, no writer has shall have ever favorably compared thee to a Winter’s Day. In contrasting the opposites of the seasons one can see that there is a certain charm and quality of life to a Spring day that is certainly missing from the season of Autumn. There is also an ever present feeling of lightness and life during the months of Spring, which is readily perceived in the scent of lilacs and the other fragrances of the season. It can also be seen in the rainbow of flowers that come into bloom and the myriad of plants putting on their vibrant costumes of green leaves. The warmth in the air is occasionally tempered by a cool breeze and the music of the birds singing their songs of creation are plentiful. Even the word itself, “Spring,” has a sense of liveliness and gayety, of energy and effervescence. Phrases like “Spring Ahead” come to mind as positive reinforcements of this season. On the other hand the word “Fall” (need I say more), connotes perhaps a “Fall from Grace.” In addressing the clocks we have to “Fall Back.” Although one must admit this is probably the only beneficial aspect of the season in the gaining an hour’s sleep. This season reminds one primarily of the coming onset of old age, of corruption and decay. It is true that initially the changing colors of the leaves in autumn do create a sense of beauty and awe, but it is all just a hoax as they are quickly replaced by the brown and desolate true colors of the season. Bare branches are soon revealed and the skeletal nature of the oncoming season is quite evident. The scent in the air is now of aging pines and burning autumn leaves damp with the cold feeling of the grave. That same cold rainy dampness often creates an ache in the body that hints at mortality. Yes, there is a that time of vibrant colors, leaves turning crimson and gold, but they soon fall to the ground wither and die. While it is true that the blooms of flowers in spring do also fade, they do so in a much more graceful manner. Petal by petal they fall and proceed to decorate the landscape, and somehow just as suddenly they simply vanish. Leaves, on the other hand, have to be gathered up or they simply decompose and decay where they are leaving a mire and muck. No one has ever complained about having to rake up petals. Summer the takes Spring into high gear and the vibrant vernal greens of the season then turn into a verdant lush darker Jade that has the pulse of life coursing through it. Then the temperatures rise and there is a buzzing liveliness in the air, it can be heard in the sounds of bees and other insects busy about their tasks of pollination and procreation. Trees add branches and leave and height to their growth, grasses grows tall and begins to go to seed as summer works its magic in the earth and air. Summer is the sunlight expressed as life and the real show of creation comes to its crescendo. Fall intercedes and brings way to Winter. The variegated of colors in Summer vanish to a world where color is virtually absent. The white snow erases any natural color from the world and the temperatures bring any growth to a complete halt. Even the sun shows itself less and less as winter days march on. Darkness and loss are the colors of the season. The whiteness of the snow has a certain crisp and clean quality to it, but ir is the perfection of death and not the chaotic nature of life that is represented there. While germ free it may be, it is also life free. For me it seems that the world truly waits for spring and summer to arrive. Winter and Fall becomes simply a time of respite, a pause that appears to last forever and just as one give up hope the spring thaw surfaces, life begins anew. Spring is a season of renewal and rebirth, which never comes early enough and can never outstay its welcome. Summer carries on the work of Spring and brings it to fruition. Tress bear fruit and these seasons expresses a time of nourishment and growth that is nowhere to be found in the shades of Fall and Winter. It has often been said that Spring comes in on the wings of robins. The appearance of robin redbreast is the announcement that winter is over and Spring has come to stay. All the birds follow suit afterwards, cardinals, blue jays, goldfinch and all seem to come out of nowhere and into the here and now. Where have they been hiding all winter? Spring itself seems to magically appear. One day there is only the hint of enclosed blossoms on the Cherry trees and the next day spring seems to be in full bloom. Although one must admit that Fall certainly has its birds of the season as well. However, as the robin cheerily gives way to the warmth and life of Spring, when Fall arrives it seems to become the season made especially for the crow. The loud “caw-caw-caw” of this ravenous raven seems to echo through the woods and streets and towns in fall. The crow is by nature a scavenger, preying on the dead. It is in this seasons that cemeteries look appropriately adorned with brown fall leaves blowing about and leafless desolate trees whose empty branches whip in the wind. The crows perch on he limbs in an failed attempt to replace the missing leaves and dot the trees with their dower countenances. Fall, like the crow, seems to sneak up on you, quietly at first and then “caw-caw-caw,” it startles you with its damp cold presence. The change in climate is most severe. While the breeze of spring comes as a sweet kiss on the cheek and summer a longing embrace, fall is more like a slap in the face and winter a punch in the nose. And speaking of nose, do not forget about cold and flu season, it is not found in July. In spring April showers bring May flowers but September rains bring October pains. Joints ache and backs hurt from the increasing cold and dampness of Autumn. Rain, the nurturing force of Spring and Summer gives way to snow, the harbinger of a long Winter’s sleep. Spring surges into summer and leaves its presence known in the lush green of the trees and the grasses. The heat of summer sun seems to finely brew what is left of spring into an elixir of life that grows and matures over the season. Unhappily at some point the sun begins to pull back and while the air seems cool, there is still some fire in it and the leaves begin to change and smell of the wet smoke of a damp a and smoldering fire pervades the air. Fall returns to churn all the good work that spring has done into a compost heap of despair. Carved pumpkins appear and seem to laugh at the damage fall has done to the season of life that has come and gone. Finally Fall is absorbed into the winds of winter which manages to clean up some of the mess, but at a cost. The world is again comes to res, but fear not for the cycle continues. As Shelly has said in his Ode to the West Wind, “The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind, / If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” Summer too! Read More