I look forward to April in part because of that rhyme you learn as a child - the one about April showers bringing May flowers. (Side note: it’s funny how certain lessons from school remain imprinted on your brain - I remember next to nothing about Biology 101, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that I’ll recall, until the day I die, the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell).
But it’s worth noting that the name April comes from the Latin verb aperire, which means “to open.” This is commonly believed to be less about the skies opening with rain and more about trees and flowers beginning to bloom and open their buds.
It’s the fourth week of April and we’re hearing works along the theme of rain this month. Today, Christian Winn reads a poem by Eileen Myles, titled “And Then the Weather Arrives.” Called “one of the most restless intellects in contemporary literature,” Myles is a poet and writer who’s written more than 20 books of poems, fiction, nonfiction, plays, and other works. Their most recent collection of poetry, A Working Life, was published by Grove Press in 2023.
Something I Heard is supported by Idaho Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
