I cannot decide if April is cruel or kind.
T.S. Eliot wrote that:
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Maybe I understand this. Perhaps April puts me “In that sweet mood
when pleasant thoughts / Bring sad thoughts to the mind.*” Color insinuates
itself into the world once again and the air is sweet smelling and warm on our
skin. Yet while I enjoy all of the sensory
pleasures of April, I also feel an oppressive sadness. It’s during this time of year when I can most
vividly remember what it is like to be a child.
Remember the wonder of things growing, the simple joy of dirt and dying
eggs and short sleeves. I can remember
it, but I can’t exactly feel it. Not like I did then. I watch my own children now, living their joy
fully, doing everything a child is supposed to do. It makes me smile, but I’m also reminded that
someday, this will all be a memory for them as well.
So maybe April is cruel. But, it does bring tulips as well, and how
could a tulip ever be construed as cruel?
*from "Lines Written in Early Spring" by William Wordsworth
Tulips always make me smile because they are one of my dear friends favorite flowers. Of to click the follow button. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteThey are one of my favories as well. They just seem so kind and unassuming. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteSo true! I think April wants to be kind. But isn't ...
ReplyDeleteGreetings from a fellow Ato Z blogger!
Hey Janna! New follower via the A to Z! April...what a great "A" topic!! I used to love April when I lived in the Bay Area. It meant warm weather and flowers in bloom. Now that I'm in Seattle, it means heavier rains than ever, and by the time April has arrived, I am already sick of the previous 6 months of gloom, and I know I have another 2 or 3 to go before summer arrives. Maybe I'll move back to N. California!
ReplyDeleteThat's how I feel about April, too. It's the season of rebirth, lilacs and tulips, and also allergies!
ReplyDeletePlay off the Page
Ah my grandmother had a saying. Translated it goes like this: "April sweet, sometimes comes with a white hat." Right now it is very cold here, and the end of March was so nice and warm. So it's very true about April :D
ReplyDeleteWhat an appropriate word to kick-off the challenge! Thanks for stopping by - looking forward to your posts.
ReplyDeleteGreat start Janna! April is sweet for me this year..get to see my grandkids/kids after 8 months away....I can barely stand the waiting!
ReplyDeleteApril has a special meaning for me as it is the month of my daughter's birth. But aside from that I see the double edge of the knife as relayed in T.S. Eliot's words. April can be a cruel month, in my neck of the woods it means more rain, cold and grey...before the merry month of May peeks forth and brings a glimmer of hope.
ReplyDeleteLovely post - I look forward to what comes next.
Jenny @ Pearson Report
Co-Host of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
Beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteLove the quotes! New follower here. I’m enjoying reading my fellow “A to Z”ers. I look forward to visiting again.
ReplyDeleteSylvia
http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/
Besides being tax season, April means that three people in my immediate family have birthdays to celebrate. New follower stopping by doing the A-Z Challenge. http://sherrilackey.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteMmm it is true that spring is different now that I'm older. I still like it, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteApril- it so changeable this year. It's the ajustment for me that takes a little getting use to; the weather being so inconsistent; however, I adore spring time! Yesterday I sat in the car just looking at the wind blowing through all the green on the trees - it was so beautiful and so silent, yet,I could hear!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping your children will have a life time of wonderful memories!
Look forward to seeing what your "D" theme will be!
Have fun!