Constraints and constrictions

Be patient, love:
in Spring the sap will rise.
Once that replenishment begins,
this thick skin you've cultivated
to protect you from the storms
will no longer be enough
to contain that which grows in you,
and will begin to peel away.
The slow excruciating tearing
redeems itself
by carrying away the scars
of old cuts you once endured;
will leave you fragile, vulnerable, glowing;
overflowing with new life.
Each stage has its discomfort:
the constraints and constrictions of winter
give way to the defenselessness of spring.
Soon you'll begin again to dread
the painful severing of autumn --
even summer aches with anticipation.