Welcome to a poetry spring fling, only three more days until "The Earth Laughs In Flowers" according to Ralph Waldo Emerson.
It has been quite a week of change: daylight savings time arrived, PI day and another nor'easter have come and gone, this time replaced by students' passions across the country, determined to carry on their cry for gun reform. And as I write this, it is the Ides of March, "
notable for the Romans as a deadline for settling debts," and of course, Shakespeare. In another meaning, it's only the middle of a month, yet I feel a 'turning'. . .
garden walk,
first bee invitation
Recently, I discovered this older book at a library sale, full of older poems collected, as you see from the cover, for children to memorize.
Here is one poem from long ago, to begin our spring celebration. Do you remember that this is also a song? I imagine many of you have your own favorites, have written your own poems, too. Spring seems to be a release for us, maybe not right away depending on where you live, but there are signs of sprouts, more birds flying around, and I see busy ants and ladybugs. It's on its way!
While doing some research, I discovered that Al Jolson used words from this poem in his famous song April Showers. Robert Loveman was also the poet for the Georgia state song, Georgia until 1979 when the state changed it to Georgia On My Mind.
April Rain
Robert Loveman
It is not raining rain for me,
It's raining daffodils;
In every dimpled drop I see
Wild flowers on the hills.
The clouds of gray engulf the day
And overwhelm the town;
It is not raining rain to me,
It's raining roses down.
It is not raining rain to me,
But fields of clover bloom,
Where any buccaneering bee
Can find a bed and room.
A health unto the happy,
A fig for him who frets!
It is not raining rain to me,
It's raining violets.
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