The Poetry of April
. . . and especially, the Fool
Yes, April is National Poetry Month and it is also the month of the Fool. There is a certain poetry to the joining of these two.
I do not particularly like April Fool’s Day but I do particularly love the Fool in the Tarot. The Fool is the first card in the deck, representing new beginnings, a forward-looking spirit embracing the future and expanding one’s horizons, plus a willingness to take risks based upon intuition. The Fool is innocence. Enthusiasm. Independence. The open heart. The Fool is a traveler who revels in uncharted territory. So I do particularly love the Fool.
“Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. It consists largely of oral or literary works in which language is used in a manner that is felt by its user and audience to differ from ordinary prose.” (Poetry.org)
The word “poetry” is from the Greek “poieo” which means “I create.” Oh, how I love this! April—a time of renewal, rebirth, and creation—is thus the perfect month to celebrate poetry. And can’t you just see the Fool traipsing among the tiny flowers of April, sowing seeds of poems all along the way? I can.
So even in these difficult times, let us celebrate all of these things—the beauty of language; the turn of the seasons; the popping up of wildflowers, buds and blooms; the rains of April turning our world lush and colorful; the promise of renewal despite All; the possibilities inherent in all our hopes for a sane and beautiful world; the winds of spring, whether or not they blow precisely the way we want them to. And let us embody the spirit of the Fool, with open hearts, no matter what; with enthusiasm and a willingness to take risks in the new (although not entirely) territory in which we find ourselves; with intuition and thoughtful independence, knowing that we will figure out what is needed. With aplomb. And let us celebrate Spring and April and the Fool and, by God, poetry, creativity, and the power of language as often and as hard as we can.
With Love to All.
"The children with the streamlets sing, / When April stops at last her weeping; / And every happy growing thing / Laughs like a babe just roused from sleeping." - Lucy Larcom, "The Sister Months"
"April . . . hath put a spirit of youth in everything." - William Shakespeare
"April comes like an idiot, babbling and stewing flowers." - Edna St. Vincent Millay
“The fool represents the hero’s journey – taking chances, leaping into the unknown, following one’s inner truth, trusting the self and embracing life’s experiences with the spirit of your life force. Step into your personal adventure with lightness of heart and an awareness of the true self – let your intuition guide you through the unknown journeys that lay ahead. Be the fearless journeyman.” - Cathy McClelland
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Thanks for listening,
Kay
P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the "merry thoughts."