Short-Term vs. Long-Term Growth: Flowers vs. Leaves
The first nine to ten lines of the poem are dominated by the contrast between the spring flowers and new leaves. While we often assume flowers to be the most beautiful, iconic, or hopeful part of spring, Limón argues that theirs is a short-lived beauty and only a temporary form of growth. Her flowers move quickly and dramatically in this poem: they are "breaking out" and "shoving," they are "strewn" like "confetti." They are cheap and plentiful, too: "obscene... baubles and trinkets." The fact that spring is just beginning and already rain or wind has knocked so many of the flowers to the ground is a reminder that they do not last, and we should not be so quick to symbolize our hopes with flowers. Unlike the quick explosion of flowers, the first green leaves are like a "green skin": something slower, broader, and more durable. These leaves are what Limón aligns with "continuous living." To overcome hurt, Limón argues, we need long-term, not short-term growth: we must be the leaves, not the blossoms.
Winter as Trauma
Though this poem takes place in early spring, the shadow of winter still hangs over it in the line "whatever winter did to us." This is a common theme in art and literature: if winter represents death and hurt, spring signifies the opportunity for renewal and healing. Limón's images of spring are hyper-specific; in contrast, she refers in vague broad strokes to "the mess of us, the hurt, the empty." This has a few effects: first and foremost, it evokes the real sense of disorientation that comes with traumatic periods of life. Often, we can't or don't want to name the specifics of how we have been hurt. Winter, here, takes on that aspect as a dark blur, too difficult or painful to recall. This poetic choice allows the reader to substitute in whatever hurts and mess we may be experiencing in our own lives.
Resilience and Openness to Life
Crucially, the poem does not argue that we overcome hurt only by focusing on the positives. It ends with this central thesis: that to continue living, we must, like the tree, be willing to "take it all." In her own analysis of the poem for Oprah Daily, Limón focuses on "ongoingness" and gratitude as central to its themes. These are as close as we get to the "Instructions on Not Giving Up" promised by the title: first and foremost, be grateful that life continues, rather than letting the negatives paralyze us. This openness to whatever life throws at us is a necessary foundation for Limón's phenomenal ability to find the good and hopeful in any situation.
