April

I sought what I lacked in April and others,

Things I knew and did not know

Confusing as snow in Spring.

What is the thing, exactly?

And what of new rules?

Day of Fools, and I am both young and old

Seeking gold – the treasure of what will be.

(Hopefully.)

April days are like a maze

Through sleepy gardens, brown and green

Slowly awakening to brighter days;

Warmer skies. Children play

Running to the finish line.

The fast one – she’s mine.

I cheer; she hears my proud shouts as she flies by

On her way to somewhere.

I want to go.

April skies of blue and pink and gray

Grand expectations giving way

To the day by day.

I float in the middle; the mocking riddle

Taunts me, caught between not quite there

And farther than yesterday.

April dreams examine the future –

The time that never is, never was

And will never be.

A tormenter of non-existence just out of reach –  

and one maddening step ahead of now.

April shows what lies in wait just beyond my grasp.

The heart’s shelter; the mind’s ally;

The soul’s peace. They move ahead

Piece by piece, falling to my hands;

Wedding bands; family ties;

An end to lies.

Life in the making – and also made.

In April I travel from one present to the next Present.

Honoring gifts from the Creator as I walk,

This foot then that one, to a week from today

And back to the place I came from;

Visits to the future and the past woven in tapestry.

Revelations of hope, sightings of progress;

Setting back the setbacks,

Leaning in to change.

April plants the tiniest seeds;

poppies, cornflower and columbine.

This life is mine. I delight in the audacity of pale green

shoots peeking from their peat beds

Arching desperately toward the light.

DLW May 4, 2021