Over The Land Is April, Over My Heart A Rose*

April, seen as Aphrodite, the most beautiful Goddess, by Carolina Sartor.

APRIL

AnElephantCant believe this is Springtime
Although we are now several days into April
He can’t speak for you
But his tootsies are blue
The cold winds of bleak winter stay chill

The name may come from ‘aperire’
Which is the Latin verb meaning ‘to open’
Like the buds on the trees
And the flowers for the bees
But here in Scotland we are still wishing and hoping

But it may be named for Aphrodite
Who rose full-grown from the ocean’s wild foam
Famed for her great beauty
Her problems were fruity
She gave Helen to Paris for his own**

The birthstone of April is the Diamond
Which Are Forever and A Girl’s Best Friend
But the saddest of facts is
That we must do our taxes
When we come to the Fiscal Year End

This month kicks off with All Fool’s Day
When a little girl tries to torment her mother
Boys get into the mix
With a variety of tricks
As everyone desperately tries to dupe one another

There are songs about April Showers
Paul Simon says Come She Will
But who would have thought
That Prince was a Scot
He says Sometimes it Snows in April

At this time we support Environmental Protection
On the 22nd which is now known as Earth Day
But even more important
To a very proud Elephant
This is also his darling daughter’s birthday

Happy Birthday, Angel!

*Poem by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Scottish novelist (Treasure Island, Jekyll and Hyde), poet and essayist.

**For the sake of a Golden Apple, Aphrodite promised Paris the (unfortunately already married) Helen as a wife, thus starting the Trojan War which resulted in the deaths of many heroes, including Achilles, Paris, Ajax and Hector, and the destruction of the city of Troy.