by
Douglas Florian
It's said April's the cruelest month,
But I say it's the coolest month.
The grass grows green.
The flowers bloom.
Most all the outdoor sports resume.
The weather warms.
The terns return.
On nature walks we talk and learn.
There's no more ice.
There's no more snow.
The creeks and brooks and rivers flow.
It's time to fish
Or climb a tree.
It's when we worship poetry.
And April's when
Our tax is due.
Perhaps it is the cruelest, too.
© 2011 Douglas Florian. All rights reserved.
I love reading Douglas Florian's poetry aloud to kids, and I love watching them study his artwork as they listen. And yes, I love reading and studying when no one else is around either. I love his turns of phrase and the way he sees the world... and I'm incredibly grateful he chose to share some of that with us here at 30 Poets/30 Days.
Today's the first Poetry Friday in National Poetry Month, so head on over and check out the roundup at the Poem Farm (where Amy just finished an amazing year full of poetry)
Thanks for being here for the kickoff of this year's fun. Tomorrow... Eyes-to-Eyes by Janet Wong! For more on 30 Poets/30 Days and ways to follow along, please click here.
14 comments:
Great way to start off 30 Poets/30 Days! I love the way this takes me right outside, and I even like the ending, because our taxes are all done, paid, etc. Yay!
Yay! It's April! What a perfect month for poetry (okay, every month is), including the "poetry" of Chicago's teasing spring/winter weather...Every poem you post is an inspiration, and I'm aiming for writing a poem a day (drafts, of course) during this wonderful celebration! Thanks, Greg.
hooray for douglas florian! i like how he brings it back around and admits it could also be cruel. especially for some of us in new england who had a 52 degree wednesday and woke up with inches of snow on april fool's day.
looking forward to 30/30!
Here's to a great 30 Days! Cool, cruel, and April Fool, thanks, Douglas and Greg!
What a great poem to find in my in-box this morning. What a great start to April. Thanks, Greg!
Great April poem! It's the perfect way to start off National Poetry Month at GottaBook. My elementary students really enjoyed Douglas Florian's poetry. One of his books that was a special favorite in my second-grade classroom was "Insectlopedia."
Clever Douglas! Like Laura, my taxes are all done and filed, but still there's truth in those words!
My capcha word is "pearmart". Must think about what that store would look like . . .
Douglas Florian is simply a gymnast. I stand again, thinking, "How did he DO that?" A.
Cruellest,coolest,
break-the-rulest!
I send a huglest
to our Douglest;
he makes me want
to be a duellist.
To match his cleverest
is my Mount Everest.
Thank you, Greg, for gathering us all together here.
Hooray, hooray for 30/30 days!!!!!!
And here here to what the other posts have stated.
That turn Mr. Florian makes at the end of the poem...back to cruelest...what a surprise! That's what I like best about Douglas Florian's poetry -- the surprises!
Looking forward to this year's poetic adventure/
Such a fun poem! Looking forward to your April celebration of 30 poets. Many thanks in advance as I know there will be many ! ~Theresa
Thank you Greg and Douglas for snapping the curse of that line for me. "April is the cruelest month" follows those of us with this name!
Interestingly, my husband is a tax accountant...so Douglas? You're first and last lines are both right!
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