Dear Villagers,


April. Exact origin of the month's name is unknown. Possibly from Latin "aperire" (to open) via some linguistic jumps to "Aprillis" to our "April". Or maybe it's from Greek Aphrodite, which morphed to Aphrillis in Latin, which then climbs back over to Aprillis and lands on April. Lots of other suppositions and information on the name origin and a plethora of festival days in the month are available via internet search.

I took the optional theme of "opening" from the suggested opening of buds and blossoms in the springtime, and several of you responded with noteworthy poems. It was with delight that I opened each submission to see what you've been thinking and writing. With a single exception, where the submitter ignored 90% of the submission guidelines and was therefore not considered, everyone who submitted had something worth including. That shows either a remarkable group of submissions, or a pushover editor. I prefer to go with the former, and I think you'll agree as you read these poems.

More of you are sending reviews and comments, and they are deeply appreciated. Certainly by me, because they build community. More so by the poets you mention, because having one's work noticed and appreciated is the fuel that feeds the fire.

The novel coronavirus has opened the eyes of the world to the fragility of our social systems. It has shined a light on the problems caused by income inequality, by ignorance, by greed, by concentrated power, by monopolistic distribution systems. But it has also, in many cases, opened our hearts to each other, as we are reminded how much we depend on each other. I hope you will read not just the regular issue, but the "pandemic poems". I will add new pandemic poems daily as I receive them.

Thank you for being a part of this community. You matter.

Jim