Poetry April

April is national poetry month ... I did terrible with limericks for March but I'm willing to try again!

A thunderstorm and
45 degrees outside--
Strong April shower.

I'll think of one myself in a bit, but this gem just came to mind:

I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree.
Indeed, unless the billboards fall
I'll never see a tree at all.

-Ogden Nash

Bright spring sunshine brings
Thoughts of warm days, flowers bloom
But thoughts of snow lurk

Cloudy skies but warmer days
Could spring truly be in its way?
Last years dull grass once more appears
And birdsong loudly reaches my ears
Windy, sure - a kiting day
If trees and power lines weren't in the way
But the skies, though dim
Don't threaten snow
Not today, anyway, so here we go!

Today rainbows moved across my wall
One, then two, in brighter sprays
Moved from wall to ceiling in cheerful silence

And while I know they are just
Refracted light that I traced
To the reflectors on the bike outside
Still it felt like a sweet benediction
An assurance from the universe
That everything will be okay ...

I thought it was spring
But the low temperatures
Say March, not April

It's almost May, yet
I need a coat outside,
Dandelions shiver

The sharp slap of roof drips
On bare cement punctuates
This last night of April
The air is chilly enough
To make coats important
And to make a hot cup of tea
A welcome thought.

Yes, this is spring in New England
Even the old-timers grumble
Remembering warm and sun
From some distant past ...
Was it just last year we had
Warmth and sun in spring?

Seems longer ago than that.