Tulip Ears

One day in late March I looked out of my living room window. There was nothing particularly unique about this action, I often sit at the table when doing my homework and watch the street in front of my suburban house. It was a haze of warm spring sunshine there, a haze and a breath and that muddied earth where green and gold begins to grow together. There is bed of perennials there that hides behind the overgrown euonymus shrubs-- where in the tulips grow straight backed, towards the sun. It was this particular sight that drew me out. All along the edge of the grass these stalks had shot up, their leaves, like rabbits' ears, created delicate shadows and sun patches. Early spring tulip leaves exist, it seems, to help the hide the March hares.