April (Nature's Tug-of-war)

A nod to nature's tug-of-war aka April... 

The first week of April has flooded us with rain,

 frosted us with snow

and favoured us with sunshine!

 This German saying sums April up in seven words!

 “April, April, der macht was er will” 

Translation; April, April, you do what you will

A few April frames from the first eight days...

The wind wafts, warm, through open pane and ushers in a scent of rain-

drenched grass and trees; where little lakes embellish the sodden landscape

and ditches gush and overflow with runoff from the melted snow

And robins fat with sass and cheer proclaim that spring and worms are here

The gale howls, cold, laden with sleet that pelts on windowpane and street

And decks yesterday's barren sweeps with tardy tantrums winter keeps

To vex hope's sanguine eagerness, and deck the boughs of barren tress 

With a fresh coat of 'the white stuff' while birds curl into balls of fluff

The breeze banters, and birdsong swells with the gladness of Christmas bells

As hints of green begin to seep through thatch-hued pastures, half asleep 

Where the ballad of hurried brook draws us toward its curve and crook

For pleasure in simplicities like picnic lunch of bread and cheese

The zesty zephyr's charm and cheek rouses strange rounds of hide and seek 

We zip up coats, then take them off; the shade is cold, the sun is hot 

One day we work outdoors, the next our list of chores is weather-vexed 

So we put on the kettle then tackle our indoor tasks again 

The sunrise is a treat for all who heed dawn's early wake up call 

The south deck, on a sunny day affords a tropic getaway 

Surely even the Grinch is drawn to turn a cartwheel on the lawn

As bulbs burst with first, favourite frills of crocuses and daffodils    

Hello and hail the yellow land and smile, sweet pale face soon sun-tanned 

Come, clap your hands and do not fret when the forecast is cold and wet

For we've known April long enough to expect both genteel and gruff

One day a wild cat's flying fur, the next a pussy-willow's purr 

April, you are one of a kind; a woman, apt to change her mind

A school boy full of countless pranks, a kiss that kindles kindest thanks

A vault of unplumbed green and gold each drop of rain helps to unfold

While patience is put to the test, while we wait out spring's yearly jest 

The welkin clock that dwindles down life's pittance of laughter and frown

Will melt lament's prevailing cause with phrases like 'winter that was' 

For always, April seems to find a foothold in lanes flower-lined 

Reviving dell and garden plot with violet and forget-me-not 

Janet Martin