The Cuyahoga County Public Library system posts a daily poem by an Ohio poet each day during the month of April for National Poetry Month.
Today also happens to be April Fool’s Day, and the anniversary of my father’s funeral (in 2016). He was a jokester his entire life and would have appreciated the timing. Now, every April Fool’s Day reminds me of him and how lucky I was to have him in my life.
In honor of my father, I’m posting an updated version of my April Fools poem. I love you, dad.
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“The Newer April Fools”
I think that I shall never see
A fool who contemplates a tree
Unless it be to climb up high,
to drop balloons upon wiseguys
Who took their favorite holiday
that celebrates their foolish play
And gave it to the vaulted wise
with noses pointed toward the skies
Allowing fools to plant their whoopies
where wise men go plant their tushies
If wise men usurp this day,
the first of April, come what may
The fools around the world would swear
revenge upon them - so, beware!
For who wants sugar in salt shakers?
Wise men or the worst of bakers?
A nest of robins in their hair?
Their clothing shrunk? their flesh laid bare?
A plastic bug upon their bed?
Green dye, not shampoo, for their head?
The Bard of Avon wrote wise fools,
who saw that humor was a tool
used to deal with hell and strife,
anger, love, conflict, and life
Those who claim they’re wise should know
that we’re all fools--each girl and beaux
Socrates, a most wise fool,
knew he knew nothing: neither do you
Laughter may be the tonic best
a type of wisdom in each jest
But poems are made by fools like me,
who love to laugh--
yet think on God and trees!
*my silly take on Joyce Kilmer’s lovely poem, “Trees”
**Many thanks to John Etorre for his feedback on the original poem!
Cat Russell 