April's Overture

Sweet April promises so much

She tiptoes gently in - sans fuss

Bearing blossoms and new leaves

Which flutter, touched by warming breeze.

 

Poet of nature, I admire

Her joyful mien and green attire

Soft-scented blooms and daisied lawn

By ponds which ripple with frog spawn …

 

In ancient times, the year began

When April* in bright sunshine ran

With Hope, attired in her best clothes,

To bring back life to stark hedgerows…

 

Now scillas, daffs and aconite

With wood anemones delight,

Grape hyacinths and bluebells grow;

For snowdrops, it is time to go …

 

As man-made follies can annoy

This welcome change fills us with joy

Sweet April opens wide her arms

And we succumb to all her charms!

(c) Poet in the woods 2021

wood anemones

* Historical note: Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.