Thursday, April 2, 2009, 04:17 PM EST
[
writer's flow]
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
-TS Eliot "The Wasteland"
I have always liked this quotation. Probably because TS Eliot is so wonderfully weird and "The Wasteland" is a symbolist's dream. But also, because its irony makes so much sense to me. It is easy to get comfortable, hibernate and shut out the world in winter. When Spring arrives with winds and sun, we are biologically sucked out of our caves, whether or not we are ready for it. April is springtime, but it's still cold enough for sweaters, and the occasional blizzard. Sometimes her cruelty lies in deception- it sure looks pretty nice until you step out and get hit by a gale! And of course, April marks many tragedies too. In a season of life, we still have to face death.
Eliot put it better, of course, and many poets have written about the clash of the seasons. Spring seems to suggest poetry to many. Maybe that's why April is National Poetry Month. [Though I think it has something to do w/ Shakespeare]...I am enjoying participating in the Poetic Asides' Poem A Day challenge and I am recording my results on writer's flow [so you don't have to dig through the hundreds of comments posted-haha :) ]...It is amazing how much poetry speaks to so many people in different ways. I love seeing how others interpret Robert's prompts. Thanks to him for doing this! I am glad I don't have to read them ALL!
Anyone else going to join the fun there? Or does anyone else have a favorite Spring poem or quote?
Thank you Jan, I appreciate it.
Jason L. BradshawJason
04:29 PM EST