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 snowand 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 landscapeand ditches gush and overflow with runoff from the melted snowAnd 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 streetAnd decks yesterday's barren sweeps with tardy tantrums winter keepsTo 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 bellsAs hints of green begin to seep through thatch-hued pastures, half asleep Where the ballad of hurried brook draws us toward its curve and crookFor 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 lawnAs 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 wetFor we've known April long enough to expect both genteel and gruffOne 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 mindA school boy full of countless pranks, a kiss that kindles kindest thanksA vault of unplumbed green and gold each drop of rain helps to unfoldWhile 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 frownWill 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