Almost April

Almost April — there is a moment just before spring fully arrives,​ ​​
when nothing seems to have changed, ​​​
and yet, everything has already begun.​​​
​​​
Almost April
​​​
when crocuses,​​​
aconites​​​
speckle colors​​​
on frigid earth,​​​
and buried bulbs unfurl​​​
their green fingers —​​​
​​​
Somewhere​​​
a cold cauldron sits​​​
atop a flame,​​​
warmth simmers:​​​
imperceptible​​​
as approaching dawn.​​​
​​​
Almost morning:​​​
​​​
when softest tones tiptoe​​​
through purple darkness,​​​
and wakening lark arises​​​
in radiant song,​​​
ruptures​​​
daybreak deafness.​​​
​​​
Almost laughter

— D. G. Vachal​​​
​​​
​This poem is from my collection​​​
The Turning of Light
a book that follows the quiet unfolding​​​
of the seasons within and around us.​​​
​​​
If you’d like to explore the full collection:​​​

The Turning of Light
​​​
Image (public domain): William J. Forsyth (American, 1854–1935), Crocuses, oil on canvas.​

“Petals Under Moonlight”



Petals Under Moonlight

Petals under moonlight
on a night when the month of May
is blooming:
owls play their piccolos
upon the branches,
crickets, their castanets
upon the watery grass —

Rejoice
in the muted colors of the petals,
foliage,
sepals,
beneath the cloak of temporal
greyness —

When daylight alights,
the greening of things
innumerable will blaze
across the fields of this fertile
continent,
drenched in the early rain,
warmed by the beams of the morning
sunlight.

D. G. Vachal © 2013, 2025

Photo Credit: Richard Thripp

Towards End of April

Towards End of April

gentler now the winds
while colors turn vibrant
and perfumed air
tiltillates my nostrils,
arouses my senses —

I was accustomed to the comfort
of my cold dreams,
aloft in clouds
of forgetfulness,
now comes April’s light
at dawn —

beneath the infinite sky
the feeble glow of constellations
illuminates pathways
unfathomable:
winding miles to travel
before winter.

D. G. Vachal © 2025

Image by Evgeni Tcherkasski @ Unsplash

April

April

Here you come once again
with your delicate rains:
petals break forth like the rainbow
while scarlet-breasted robins
alight
upon the thickening carpet
of emerald grass —

You perplex me so:
warm and cold,
endearing and aloof,
the way long-forgotten loves
drove me to the very edge
of madness —

O April,
enshroud me in the intimacy
of your mysteries,
then will I comprehend the reason
for the ethereal blossoms
fragrant
in the month of May.

D. G. Vachal © 2025

Image by Donna McCl @Unsplash

Momentary Blooms

Momentary Blooms

Are there memories
senseless
to logical sentiments,
written off as never-
happenstance hypotheses
by mountain goat-bearded
wise sages —

why then
do rainbow whirlwinds
hover over peripheries
of my befuddled mind,
radiate
in the recessive
penumbra
of my tranquil heart —

thoughts of loves
long forgotten
momentarily bloom
like purple
crocus petals
on the frigid soil
of weather-beaten
March gardens —

why then
do they disappear
in April.

D. G. Vachal © 2025

Image by Couleur @Pixabay