The birds are back, the sun’s out early, and the flowers catch the eye of every passerby. People air up the tires and start biking to work again. Joggers whisk past on the sidewalk. Spring is a time of movement.
Even the air itself gets caught up in the hubbub. The rowdy wind blows itself breathless, sending pollen and branches flying; downing signs and power lines.
In Missouri, April is the windiest month of the year. Our state isn’t an especially windy one, but in springtime the wind has its say. On Saturday night, we heard it howling through the wee hours of the morn and flinging twigs against the siding. In the morning, debris was everywhere—branches down, internet down, trash blowing in the streets. Splintered reminders of the wind are still piled on the sides of the roads.
April wind isn’t always violent. Sometimes it’s a chill that brings a cold night in. Or a gentle breeze that swirls up little swarms of petals on a sunny day. But it’s always here, knocking the flowers off the trees as fresh green leaves begin to unfurl. April wind carries us from the chill of March into the green of May. The sails are full, and we are headed for summer.
All That Moves 