April 6: Janice LaDuke


A Sonnet for the Spruce

The spruce are decked out in white ermine and lace

About the pasture they waltz at a leisurely pace

If you were not out among them, you’d not be aware

How they so gracefully sway, I just stand and stare

The wind’s violinists lift their bows

The spruce curtsy, they twirl, so light on their toes

    I in my snowshoes, clumsy winter attire

    Stand watching in awe, a shy wallflower.

Janice LaDuke came to the Townships in 1977 and never quite got away.  Librarian, bookstore owner, sometimes a musician and always a book fiend, she enjoys arranging words on a page. 


See all the poems from our April 2026 ‘Poem a day’ series here.