In Spring

Alone in my cabin for weeks,

I long to be touched

by the sun. Hornets moan

low through the wall while 

earth softly dampens.

Frog sacs inflate

and my own throat bubbles 

with want. In spring, the whole 

forest is green with pleasure—

tadpoles squirming, coiled 

fiddleheads, mushrooms 

blushing in shade. Everything

a song of seduction.

The carpenter bee amasses 

wood shavings in tidy, 

unimaginable mounds.

Slick with desire, I am grateful 

for the many leering eyes

of the caterpillar, moths 

smacking against the glass. 

There is not much I miss

from the terrible concrete world—

only you, lying naked

atop the sheet, new hairs 

sprouting along your body

as you sleep.

Natasha Rao is the author of Latitude, which won the 2021 APR/Honickman First Book Prize. She teaches poetry at Drew University.
Originally published:
June 8, 2026

Featured

Searching for Seamus Heaney

What I found when I resolved to read him

What Happened When I Began to Speak Welsh

By learning my family's language, I hoped to join their conversation.

When Does a Divorce Begin?

Most people think of it as failure. For me it was an achievement.

You Might Also Like




Newsletter

Sign up for The Yale Review newsletter to receive our latest articles in your inbox, as well as treasures from the archives, news, events, and more.