Company and National Poetry Month

It has been a very busy first week of April. Right now the redbud, dogwood, spreading flox and tulips with a dash of iris are brilliant in the early spring sun. It is a pleasure just to drive down the street and look every direction for signs of rebirth, of coming again. DH’s sister and husband have been here from Montana and we drove them down our main street dominated by old well-kept Victorians where mature flowering trees offered scenes like a French painting.

I managed to make a good evening meal but Easter rabbits still dominated the scene. I had no time or inclination maybe to change out bunnies. We had cranberry meatballs over rice, minted green beans, salad, cranberries in wine, and hot rolls followed by Black Russian cake. This morning brother-in-law treated us to breakfast out. We are stuffed like little spring toads.

                                                  Father Steve reads after cooking

Also yesterday I read my poems at Grace Church where they celebrated National Poetry Month at their Encore lunch. Encore is a lunch once a month during the noon hour and costs a $5 donation just to cover the expense for food. Church members take turns creating meals and Father Steve is one of the main cooks himself. In summer and autumn months the cooks use fresh vegetables from the church garden.  During lunch there is a speaker of some sort and every one is free again shortly after 1:00.   

This month members of the church and I read our work. It was fantastic the variety and richness of poems. One woman wrote about her cancer fight; a grade school principal wrote about growing up-his and others, one read an Elizabeth Bishop poem, and much more.  People enjoyed it, and I heard comments that they hoped to hear something like this again. They could do it every April!