Let Us Now Praise April

Daffodil Hill at Lakeview Cemetery (photo by the author) 

Ahh, April — landscapes yellowing with dandelions and daffodils, the sound of lawn mowers roaring back to life, the blossoming and subtle greening of trees everywhere.

It’s enough to inspire even the most verklempt among us to enchantment and song, breaking out in odes to wonderful springtime after having survived the long, dark night of winter.

And so, it makes sense that here in the U.S., April has long been known as National Poetry Month. This annual celebration of all things poetry began back in 1996, organized by the Academy of American Poets (www.poets.org). Inspired by Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March, its aim was to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the U.S.

As one of humanity’s oldest art forms, poetry has a long history, dating back to the origins of human civilization itself. And perhaps even before that, with some arguing that it may even predate written text.

Poetry takes many forms. For instance, ancient epics like the Mesopotamian “Epic of Gilgamesh” and Homer’s “Odyssey” to Virgil’s “Aeneid” which tells of the founding of ancient Roman civilization, feature the extraordinary journeys and adventures of heroic figures, real or fictional.    

It also includes the rhymes that children learn in school, perhaps something about how April showers bring May flowers, to the once popular magnetic refrigerator poetry (remember that?) Or perhaps one of the most famous English-language poems that starts off with one of the most recognizable injunctions about the month, T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland” April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.

From the serious and deeply moving to the fun and frivolous, poetry has served many functions in human life across the centuries; to mark special occasions or to simply capture some specific moment in time, to express what it is like to be a human being in this world.  

Locally, there are a number of ways you can get involved and help celebrate National Poetry Month. For starters, the Cuyahoga County Public Library kicks off their Poem-a-Day program in April. You can sign up to receive a poem-a-day in your email inbox during the month of April, with prompts to either write your own response or just comment on the poem itself. Featured poets are regional Northeast Ohio writers. You can find out more about the library’s programs surrounding National Poetry Month and sign up for the poem-a-day by going to the link here: (https://cuyahogalibrary.org/services/makerspaces/the-william-n-skirball-writers-center#poetry)

Another way to celebrate poetry in April may be to revisit some of Cleveland’s famous poetic voices of the past. For instance, you can start off with Hart Crane (whose father invented Life Savers candy), who was born in nearby Garrettsville and attended school in Cleveland before moving to New York City. There’s also Langston Hughes, who spent his teenage years in Cleveland and attended the old Central High School, and who later became a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Or consider heading out to hear some live poetry at one of the many readings around town. You can find more information at the Literary Cleveland web site here: https://www.litcleveland.org/events.