April

inspired by my seasonal depression that might not be seasonal

April comes to save us,

Far less delicate than the petrified

Maze of January

When the earth would scream

Eerie cries of warning,

But we wouldn’t listen.

We were numb.

 

We can feel the wakefulness

Rumbling beneath the earth and

Breaking through the cracks of winter

Like the dormant green

Through the winter snow.

 

The grass is still there

Stretching its limbs and yawning

Bruised and brown

And filled with hope.

 

Inhale. Exhale.

Finally.

April let’s us breathe.

Reviews

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

I stumbled upon this piece from another writer's review, and I'm glad that I did. I am always fascinated with time in general and thus the changing of the seasons; I have done a lot of writing about this very thing, and this piece reminds me a lot of one I recently wrote that dealt with the idea of depression and the changing of seasons. I have felt this way...the depth of winter can be too much sometimes, and we long for the "change", perhaps because it is brighter, or perhaps just because we need something different. You have illustrated this poignantly here.

Great use of concise imagery and form. You write in a minimalist fashion that is truly striking. Some great wording and phrasing "Maze of January" and "April let's us breathe" being two of my favorite lines. Lots of great detail and vivid description. Truly enjoyed this one.

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you so much- i'm glad you could draw personal comparisons to this piece! thank you for reading a reviewing. your words always mean a lot :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

we ARE numb in winter...we are in seclusion in a way...we hibernate...our hearts go through seasons...the cold of winters when we have no love, just lonliness...but then...spring comes and our hearts awaken...we come out of hibernation to feel again...

this poem reminds me of a favorite simon and garfunkel song..

"april come she will
when streams are ripe and filled with rain
may she will stay
resting in my arms again"

[Dana Alsamsam]

so many analogies can be pulled from this and i'm glad you connected to many of them! also great song haha

[Clockwork]

I saw this one pop up in my news feed the other day right before I got off WC. So I thought I would come back and give it a look. This one reminds me a bit if Tranströmer, and the way he approaches poetry overall.

I really like how you start this piece in the first five lines of this poem, especially how describe January as a maze. Also, that second stanza shows of a real connection to the earth, an empathetic tie, at least in my opinion. You don't just see the icy maze of January thaw, you feel the change in the earth.

The personification of the grass in the third stanza also made me smile. That detail was well done, and it continued the momentum from what you described in stanza two.

[Dana Alsamsam]

wow thank you! this piece is old, and very interesting to look back on now that it's super hot outside. thank you for your review :)

[Clockwork]

You're welcome :-)

[IWRITE]

i'm not much for reviews. but i want to try. the thing about this writing that gets me is i feel the same way. fuuuuuuck the winter, right? thats me anyway. but april could be any other name. its just circumstance. everything is due to circumstance. winter is only winter due to the circumstance of the earths tilt. and the proximity to the star from which it (earth) derives its energy- 93 million miles isn't much for the protons coming off of Sol. and they give our atmosphere the heat that it needs to warm the people like you and me that so desire it. it literally hurts my head to think about how it actually works. and then i remember, you know, its okay.

there is hope. this is a poem and i am reading it and i am alive and that is what really matters. so here is to life and hope and april and poetry- thank you for thinking and creating and sharing.

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you! you went way far back in my writing haha this piece isn't that great, but yes you are alive. there is hope. it is in fact okay. thanks for reviewing!

[IWRITE]

yeah, i wanted to review one that hadn't been