Poet Laura: Not the Cruelest Month

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

So says T.S. Eliot to begin his much-lauded poem The Wasteland.

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur

So says Geoffery Chaucer in the prologue to The Canterbury Tales.

April is the not the cruelest month for me, it the blooming renewal month of Chaucer. April is not only an important month for major religions, but it is—drumroll—National Poetry Month!

The first poem that comes to mind in April, and then again in November, for Thanksgiving, is “Te Deum,” by Charles Reznikoff. He has taken the title from the Latin te deum laudamus, you God we praise, which figures heavily in Catholic ritual. Reznikoff was a Jew and his own religion was important to him.

I love this poem for its praise of quotidian blessings, the pursuit of one’s work, not as much an ars poetica as an ars vivendi.

Te Deum

Not because of victories
I sing,
having none,
but for the common sunshine,
the breeze,
the largess of the spring.

Not for victory
but for the day’s work done
as well as I was able;
not for a seat upon the dais
but at the common table.

—Charles Reznikoff

I love “Te Deum” for its reminder to be thankful for daily life, the changing seasons—the largess of the spring—and the work that gives our lives meaning, that we are part of a greater whole. Of course, this poem doesn’t need explicating, I just want to praise the sentiment, to praise sitting at the common table of this world, especially in springtime, the season of rebirth.Here is a spring poem from Enormous Blue Umbrella:

After the Birds Begin to Sing from the Trees

Before the sun makes its way over the bay
before the sky softens to gray
before the blaze of day begins

I rise, pull on my jeans, lace up my shoes
and enter the day, before the neighbors
are out, before the traffic begins,

before the phone rings,
while the day is blank as a page,
before I pick up my pen,

thank you, I say, let this day begin.

—Donna Hilbert

Here is a small gratitude poem from Threnody:

Lines Ending with Rumi

Heron feeding nestlings
In the Red Bud tree
Brings me to my knees
There are many ways to kneel
And kiss the ground.

—Donna Hilbert

Your Turn

April 30 is Poem in Your Pocket Day. What poem will you carry in your pocket? What poem might you memorize and carry in your heart. I will carry “Te Deum” in my pocket and my heart.

To celebrate National Poetry month all month long, check out this 30-day prompt book for subscribers.

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Donna Hilbert

Donna Hilbert’s latest book is Enormous Blue Umbrella, Moon Tide Press, 2025. Work has appeared in journals and broadcasts including Eclectica, Gyroscope, Rattle, Sheila Na Gig, ONE ART, Verse Daily, Vox Populi, Tweetspeak Poetry, The Writer’s Almanac, and anthologies including Boomer Girls, The Widows’ Handbook, The Poetry of Presence I & II, The Path to Kindness, The Wonder of Small Things, Love is For All of Us. She writes and leads workshops from her home base in Long Beach, California. (Author photo credit Nathaniel Gutman.)

Latest posts by Donna Hilbert (see all)

• Poet Laura: Not the Cruelest Month - April 8, 2026
• Poet Laura: Written in March - March 4, 2026
• Poet Laura: Month of Fevers - February 13, 2026